What, If Anything, Is Biological Altruism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8397323 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tulio Halperin (0000-0002-9732-0662, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, corresponding author), Topaz Halperin, Arnon Levy (0000-0002-3375-9289, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 465-486 |
| Publication date | 2024-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0882 • E-ISSN: 1464-3537 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/716097 |
| OpenAlex | W3176127262 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 37 |
The study of biological altruism is a cornerstone of modern evolutionary biology. Associated with foundational issues about natural selection, it is often supposed that explaining altruism is key to understanding social behaviour more generally. Typically, ‘biological’ altruism is defined in purely effects-based, behavioural terms—as an interaction in which one organism contributes fitness to another, at its own expense. Crucially, such a definition isn’t meant to rest on psychological or intentional assumptions. We show that appearances and official definitions notwithstanding, the notion of biological altruism carries a vestige of the psychological, intentional concept familiar to us from the human domain. In particular, definitions of altruism from Hamilton onwards presuppose an actor-recipient distinction—a distinction, so we argue, that has questionable biological grounding. We arrive at this conclusion step-by-step, first looking at several simple, ‘austere’ definitions and their problems, and then critiquing the actor-recipient distinction directly. If successful, our arguments suggest that the category of biological altruism requires a significant rethink
Altruism (biology · Cornerstone · Epistemology · Inclusive fitness · Natural selection · Selection (genetic algorithm · Simple (philosophy · Sociology · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology
Intention, Plans, and Practical Reason
Agents and Goals in Evolution
The Selfish Gene
The Evolution of Altruistic Behavior
Causation
Social semantics
The genetical evolution of social behaviour. I
The Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism
Action, Knowledge, and Will
Philosophy of Biology
Sixteen common misconceptions about the evolution of cooperation in humans
Functions and Goal Directedness
Wright on Functions
Is altruism part of human nature
Sociobiology
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |