POLL: What's the evolutionary reason why we help the elderly and those in needs?

Question

I thought certain morals evolved because it benefited the organism? For example, Richard Dawkins explains that when nomads helped others they were rewarded back, and the "rats" of the clan got cast out because they were a social encumbrance. Another moral which we enjoy is helping others, such as helping your neighbor rake his leaves or helping your friend study for a test. Now. that makes you feel "as though you did the right thing," but there's a coherent, rational, scientific explanation for that - namely, you did an act which could in turn benefit you in the future. Your neighbor or friend can in turn rake your leaves or help you out for the test.

Now, here's my primary question: why do we help those in need, such as the elderly, where there is no positive, evolutionary gain from it whatsoever? Why do we help those who only take, but never give and yet feel as though we did the right, ethical thing? What's the evolutionary reason for that?

Q.#2 - if you're going to respond that the brain has evolved over time to just help, regardless of whether or not you gain from it (since we are just an overall social species), then why, for most people, does it feel BETTER to visit an old man in the hospital and make him smile for the first time in years than to help your neighbor rake his leaves, which is BOTH ethical and beneficial? Basically, if primarily, ethics are associated with social benefits for the organism, then why do certain ethics which have no social benefit make you feel better than those which DO benefit you (such as raking your neighbors' leaves.)

Please sincere answers only, This is a science, ethical evolution project. I'm not a religious fundamentalist, this doesn't really have anything to do with religion. I'm just addressing educated evolutionists.

Thank you so much. :)

Answer 1

There is positive evolutionary advantage in helping the elderly in a social society. One day, we will be elderly. By supporting a system that supports them, we invest in a support system that we will one day need to use.



There is also an advantage in keeping people around for as long as possible because, though they may be physically spent, they still have experience and knowledge that can help younger members of the society.

Answer 2

What makes you think there is no positive evolutionary gain from helping the elder and underprivileged groups?



Do you really think these people don't have anything at all to contribute? I can only imagine how sad your life must be if this is the way you think.



This "science, ethical evolution project" is certainly not one. Please read up on evolution and evolutionary psychology. Read some books on ethology, ethics and philosophy. Until you've improved your knowledge of the subject, stop trying to prove something and just watch, listen and learn.



Someone else suggested reading "The Selfish Gene" and I would like to second that recommendation. "The Third Chimpanzee" is another good one by Jared Diamond. I'm sure there are many more.



Your attitude towards the elderly is a function of the dominant culture poisoning your mind. Your question is so mind boggling because of the obviousness of the value of these people you seem to believe are without value. Your ability to assign value shouldn't be trusted. I'd also read "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn. Hopefully that book will give you some much needed perspective.

Answer 3

There are philosopher's, mainly Kant and other deontologists, who approach these type of ethical situations with a duty based view. Only those actions that are done because of duty (not from any consequense or expected effect) are morally worthy. So for instance, helping your neighbor rake the leaves is only morally worthy if you do it strictly because you see it as your duty to help others and not from inclination or desired effect.



Utilitarians believe that your actions should be based on the consequenses. The view here is that pleasure is the sole intrinsic value and all of our actions and decisions is a means to that end. Those actions that bring about the most happiness and pleasure, are ones that you ought to do. I'm not sure if there is an evolutionary answer to this other than people are sometimes inclined to do the right thing, regardless of motive or reason. It seems that humans are predisposed to maximize the most happiness, whether by helping others or through helping others, maximizing your own happiness.

Answer 4

I have done the checking into all of the details and evolution is true im not doubting that one bit but it happend becuase God intended it to be so. Do the math the odds are too rediculous to be shear coincidence. For example. Randomly there is a bunch of matter squeezed into a dot ok that is understandable then it all explodes for no good reason creating nothing but energy. Ok i would still buy that. Then the energy condenses over time and forns the first bits of matter. Makes sense too me. This matter then forms perfectly the elements to a star and goes through nuclear fusion to create all the other elements around us in abundance . Ok thats still a logical argument. Then as time passes stars die ejecting matter allover the universe were at some point in the universe they gravitate together and form a star with nine planets in orbit. This is almost stretching it in my mind i meen energy=light forming planets? Then the third planet out from this star is seated in an unbelievabley good and steady climate when compared to every other planet we know of. The planet then devolps water presumably from ice metors just happing to hit and burn up in the atmosphere. From here plants begin to exist. Why? No one realy knows... from there animals come into being and overtime they change and evolve and create a diverse ecosystem. Then finaly after everything in this completly desolate world is put into place to be a habitable land.....Man appears. And for no good reason man is a sentient being. The first of its kind. Which is a feat in itself but not only that but be able to coexist through deversity and adversity and advance society eventual putting another man on the moon. All this from light particles in the big bang???? I dont think so the odds are too great agaisnt such a possibility. Regaurdless of your opinion what all must agree on becuase it is true is that. The light of creation shines in all of us. Quite literally for atheists the energy became us fascinating. What if all of energy is just a spirit a soul even? This would explain why ghosts and other paranormalplanet activiry have such a profound effect on electrical equipment? Just speculating on that last part.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Do as you would be done by.



If you create a society where it is the norm to take care of the 'none productive' members, then it increases the chances of you being looked after, if you should ever become one yourself.

Hopefully we will all live to be old & physical misfortune could befall us all at any time.



This is why I firmly believe that the harsher the landscape, the kinder the people.

If you live in a world were you are almost certain to need the help of others sooner or later, then you would be very foolish not to extend the same sort of help to others.

Answer 7

Evolutionary psychology



Evolutionary psychology have proposed several explanations for love. Human infants and children are for a very long time dependent on parental help. Love have therefore been seen as mechanism to promote mutual parental support of children for an extended time period. Another is that sexually transmitted diseases may cause, among other effects, permanently reduced fertility, injury to the fetus, and increase risks during childbirth. This would favor exclusive long-term relationships reducing the risk of contracting a STD.[1]



From the perspective of evolutionary psychology the experiences and behaviors associated with love can be investigated in terms of how they have been shaped by human evolution.[2] For example, it has been suggested that human language has been selected during evolution as a type of "mating signal" that allows potential mates to judge reproductive fitness.[3] Miller described evolutionary psychology as a starting place for further research: "Cognitive neuroscience could try to localize courtship adaptations in the brain. Most importantly, we need much better observations concerning real-life human courtship, including the measurable aspects of courtship that influence mate choice, the reproductive (or at least sexual) consequences of individual variation in those aspects, and the social-cognitive and emotional mechanisms of falling in love." Since Darwin's time there have been similar speculations about the evolution of human interest in music also as a potential signaling system for attracting and judging the fitness of potential mates.[4] It has been suggested that the human capacity to experience love has been evolved as a signal to potential mates that the partner will be a good parent and be likely to help pass genes to future generations

Answer 8

short answer and not a scientific one, its just a nice thing to do. Everyone has been down before and its always nice to have a helping hand there for you when you need it. Those that have experienced before know what it is like to be in position and if they can help out why not.



q2 because we are only human and not everyone is the same. Not everyone is the same hence why we have selfish and more caring people, so many factors from up bringing to environmental to why a person is who they are.

Answer 9

the clearest explanation lies within maslow's hierarchy of needs. the highest level of need a man has is self actualization, and we live in a culture which fulfills our more basic needs more readily, allowing us to self actualize by helping others etc. that's a matter of the evolution of society enabling the evolution of behaviour. it's all due to the greater understanding of life people are gaining. there was no need for further evolution, because we've had the ability all along, just not the understanding. essentially, a person does it for themselves. it makes one feel useful and important.

Answer 10

How about the best thing before Wikipedia, Google, and Yahoo Answers?



Back in the day, not too many people lived into the state of dementia. Thus they were a wealth of knowledge and had many stories. Plenty of survival and entertainment value there.

Answer 11

Because we evolved to be a social animal and care about the well being of fellow humans. Social behavior is advantageous for humans because we can work together to survive instead of killing each other.

Answer 12

It feels good to do something good for someone else. If that is an evolved trait why would it matter what the helpful act is? There is no need to distinguish one helpful act fom another.

Answer 13

Reciprocal Altruism- The theory of reciprocal altruism was originally developed by Trivers (1971), as an attempt to explain cases of (apparent) altruism among unrelated organisms, including members of different species. (Clearly, kin selection cannot help explain altruism among non-relatives.) Trivers' basic idea was straightforward: it may pay an organism to help another, if there is an expectation of the favour being returned in the future. (‘If you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours’.) The cost of helping is offset by the likelihood of the return benefit, permitting the behaviour to evolve by natural selection. Trivers termed with evolutionary mechanism ‘reciprocal altruism’.http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/altruism-biological/#4

Answer 14

Hmm, you need to read a book. A very specific book. "The Selfish Gene".



It has whole chapters dedicated to the evolution of altruistic behavior.

Answer 15

None we also have no evolutionary reason to write books, Watch Movies or Play video games.

We do random crap just for the hell of it.

Answer 16

We are a social species. We're supposed to help each other.

Answer 17

Really it is the love of God that shows us to help the aged and others in need.

The flesh rejects the help we should give others.

Realizing as mortals we too will be older one day as well.

Answer 18

We all have a little communist deep inside us...