Darwin postulated that the nonexistence of altruism amongst different species is one of the default positions of biology. Hardin carries the argument even further. Altruism does not even exist for members of the same species, or even the same family. Take an example.
A parent sacrifices him/herself for a child. Noble indeed. However, this act of individual altruism is actually an act of genetic selfishness... via The Selfish Gene theory (Richard Dawkins). Genes within the parent have passed on 'urges' which work to maintain the survival of the child (new gene carrier), even at the cost of their (old gene carrier) own lives. For Hardin, this is just another example of the essential role that discrimination plays in altruism.Praising Discrimination
Hardin argues that 'discrimination is a necessary part of every persisting altruistic behavior. Why? Because without discrimination the good effects of altruism would be commonized over the entire population.' One alternative to discriminating altruism would be universal altruism - a noble intention indeed. However, it is pointed out that 'the specific shortcoming of universalism is easy to identify: it promotes a pathology... namely the tragedy of the commons'.What are we to do? What about altruism?
To be honest, I'm not sure. As a follower of Jesus, I still adhere to the belief that a major purpose of life is wholeheartedly serving others, without judgement (universal altruism). At the same time, rationality cautions that such reckless servitude is folly, and altruism without discretion could be quite damaging (money to the beggar for more drugs).
To me, this is reminiscent of the ESS dilemma between the doves and hawks. As a Christian, we should be as doves. Yet, this world is a world of hawks.
Nowhere near a final, universal, conclusion, I have arrived at a locale minima in cognitive dissonance. I think universal altruism should not be inscribed into law. Instead, I will exercise discretion, though erring on the side of universal altruism, when serving. I will hope that God gave us good will, in addition to free will.
Random Thoughts...
Money is a form of reciprocal altruism, aka 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine'. In addition, the phrase 'Money is the root of all evil' is actually distorted from a biblical aphorism:
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. (1 Timothy 6:10)
No comments:
Post a Comment