Moral Origins

For three decades, genetic altruism has been cited as the dominant theory to explain the paradox of human generosity; experts claim our altruism is limited to close kin. But Moral Origins tells a different story. Ethologist and anthropologist Christopher Boehm carefully traces our social evolution over time, devising a convincing new hypothesis: as autonomy-loving humans became large game hunters, severe group punishment began to genetically favor individuals with superior self-control. Essentially, bullies and free-loader types were killed or expelled from social bands because they interfered with the survival of others in the group. This social bias singled out highly altruistic individuals as preferable marriage partners, political allies, and group leaderswhat Boehm calls social selection. The result was the first stirrings of conscience and the genetic effects eventually led to a fully-developed sense of shame.