Like many members of the animal kingdom, people will readily lend a hand to immediate family and relatives. But humans alone extend altruism beyond kin, frequently helping perfect strangers for no obvious personal gain. Whether we live in large or small groups, in the global network of the New Economy or in the most isolated Yanomami reservation along the border between Venezuela and Brazil, human cooperation in the absence of family ties is widespread across cultures.

On what is this largehearted behavior built? Does each of us possess an inner samaritan who is selfless and community-minded, as philosophers have sometimes proposed? Or--as many sociobiologists have suggested--are actions that are seemingly done for the benefit of others really motivated by veiled economic calculations and selfishness or by egoism, with an eye to the very long term?

This article was originally published with the title The Samaritan Paradox.

1 Comments

1. 1. Priyantha Peiris 07:47 AM 4/27/08

   As a Researcher of Nutrition and Human Behavior,I would look at it in a special way.
   That is when the Top layer of the Brain of humans develops especially during NeuroBlast with special nutrients with more and a variety of Amino acids, this kind of behavior is shown among the humans. Also that society will live in peace and harmony to have a good living standard. An example is Japan. where it's dietay system changed since 1965. SriLanka was such a place over thousand years ago. But now suffering with terrorism and all ills of society.A lenthy speculative discussion is necessary to highlight facts and figures.

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