The significance of evolutionary explanation of altruism for the understanding of morality

Abstract

In this paper I discuss the question whether the evolutionary explanation of altruistic behavior can help understanding the emergence of morality in human species. Two models of evolution of the altruistic behaviour are presented - the Hamilton?s model of kin selection and the Trivers? model of reciprocal altruism.Then, I point out some limitations of these models when applied to human behaviour. I consider the social life of primates and call attention to the limited extent of primate altruistic behaviour. I emphasize that the capacity of normative guidance of behaviour, which is essential feature of morality, is not present in social life of primates. I conclude that models for evolution of altruism and studies of primate social life can be useful for understanding the origins of social behavior in general, but can not offer a complete picture of the emergence of morality.