Could not get the whole thing to copy but type into your browser "The Price Equation" and check the Wikipedia article.
Essentially, George Price composed an equation that proves that altruism, is really rooted in looking out for the self....that our altruistic acts, my donating to Red Cross, somone running in front of a speeding train to save someone elses child, a guy jumping on a handgrenade to save his buddies, is rooted in self interrest.
My take is, and was before reading the article, is that basically he's right. Everything we do, at one level or another, is rooted in self interest.
So how could a guy jumping on a hand grenade be from self interest.....perhaps in that it is better to die than to dishonor oneself by saving him/herself at the expense of his/her friends. ..ie: How could I live with myself knowing I acted cowardly?"
Whether you can follow the math or not, its certainly an interesting theory, and the book <span style="text-decoration: underline">The Price of Altruism </span>(The history of George Price) an interesting read.
Essentially, George Price composed an equation that proves that altruism, is really rooted in looking out for the self....that our altruistic acts, my donating to Red Cross, somone running in front of a speeding train to save someone elses child, a guy jumping on a handgrenade to save his buddies, is rooted in self interrest.
My take is, and was before reading the article, is that basically he's right. Everything we do, at one level or another, is rooted in self interest.
So how could a guy jumping on a hand grenade be from self interest.....perhaps in that it is better to die than to dishonor oneself by saving him/herself at the expense of his/her friends. ..ie: How could I live with myself knowing I acted cowardly?"
Whether you can follow the math or not, its certainly an interesting theory, and the book <span style="text-decoration: underline">The Price of Altruism </span>(The history of George Price) an interesting read.
