Man or Chimp more helpful?

[Martin]

Today's Science magazine has an article about (I suspect in part genetic-based) altruism

have to go to the local public library for this one, but a brief summary is online

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/311/5765/1248

 

 

Perspectives

BEHAVIOR:

Who Are More Helpful, Humans or Chimpanzees?

Joan B. Silk

Humans, including infants, are more willing than closely-related chimpanzees to cooperate and behave altruistically and cooperatively, probably in part accounting for their evolutionary success.

Science 3 March 2006:

Vol. 311. no. 5765, pp. 1248 - 1249

The author is in the Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. E-mail: jsilk@anthro.ucla.edu

 

 

RELATED ARTICLES IN SAME ISSUE

 

Reports:

Chimpanzees Recruit the Best Collaborators

Alicia P. Melis, Brian Hare, and Michael Tomasello

Science 3 March 2006: 1297-1300

 

Reports:

Altruistic Helping in Human Infants and Young Chimpanzees

Felix Warneken and Michael Tomasello

Science 3 March 2006: 1301-1303

 

I have not seen these articles. I cannot evaluate them. Has anyone here seen them?-----someone with a subscription to Science magazine?

It would be interesting to know how they measured the helpfulness tendencies of human and chimp infants. did they get them young enough that they could tell whether the altruistic behavior had been TAUGHT to them or whether it was in part programmed by brain-genes

[bascule]

Dawkins has argued as much (as to the evolutionary benefits of altruism). Our ability to work in groups and to help others when they are in need with the hope that they will either return the favor in the future or someone else will are all qualities which have made humanity so incredibly successful.