Are Humans And Other Animals Altruistic?

It seems reasonable to me that “unselfish” behavior in animals or humans can be similarly and variously explained by some combination of altruism, protective instincts, and reciprocal behavior. Why would we assume that humans are different than other animals, that humans are inherently “good” or “bad,” or that altruistic behavior in humans or other animals is NOT natural?

Recently, we traveled to the Arctic with several scientists, including Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and a prominent atheist. I wrote about it here and here and here and here.

New Scientist, a British science magazine, sponsored this journey. While we were still on the trip, the magazine published an article about altruism in animals that generated a lot of discussion. The article reported that killer whales (orcas) attempted to share food with researchers.

At the same time, many people were then sharing a Facebook post describing a similar 2023 National Geographic article. The article reports that humpback whales disrupted killer whale hunts. These reports suggest that animals may display altruistic behavior, helping others without receiving anything in return.

Alternatively, some scientists suspect that these actions are protective instincts or reciprocal gestures. In humans, Richard Dawkins believes that altruistic behavior served a useful purpose when we lived in tribes. Then, someone might sacrifice for others in hopes that others might someday sacrifice for them. He thinks that present-day altruism is a fortunate holdover from earlier times.

The British are Coming!!

My wife and I accidentally triggered a few of our British tablemates when we suggested that altruism in animals or humans is perfectly natural. “That’s not what Richard Dawkins thinks!!” So? Then, things got personal. The Brits said, “How ironic, a defense of altruism from Americans, the least altruistic and most selfish people on Earth!?! From an investment banker, no less!?!”

Sadly, many Americans are NOT altruistic, and they are selfish. We once believed that if each of us operated with self-interest, then all of us would enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But that did NOT work out, especially for Native Americans who lost their land, African Americans who lost their freedom, and Japanese Americans who lost years in internment camps.

But some Americans are altruistic. Some Americans are more concerned with the public interest—things that benefit all of us—rather than self-interest—things that benefit just me or some of us. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a compassionate and wise man, said, “Whatever affects one of us affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality.”

The Cavalry is Coming!!

The concept of self-interest is cultural because the concept of self is cultural. The “self” is a Western construct. I have a Zen practice. In Zen, the concept of “no-self” (anatta or anatman) refers to the understanding that there is no permanent, unchanging, independent self or soul. If I believe that helping others helps everyone and hurting others hurts everyone, why would I be “selfish?”

My British friend looked at me without speaking for a long time. Then he grinned wryly and shrugged resignedly. “I never met an investment banker with a Zen practice.” Well, now you have.

Sometimes, people who are mired in the Western worldview misunderstand the concept of “no-self.” It does NOT mean that we do not exist. It does NOT mean that we do not have differences. Nondual traditions accept that essential unity and apparent separation co-exist. The Buddhists say, “Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form.” The Taoists see “the Tao and the 10,000 things.”

Everyone exists in a unique place and time. We answer to a name, and we curse when we stub our toes. We get hungry and sleepy, and we have thoughts. But we do NOT exist in a vacuum. Everyone is inextricably linked to everyone and everything around us. We are living the one life that we are all living; we are NOT living separate lives that only we are living.

Altruism in human animals is no easier to discount (or explain) than reports of altruism in other animals. There are examples of altruistic behavior, just as there are reports of “selfish” behavior. The question of whether animals are altruistic raises a bigger question, namely, whether humans are essentially different from other animals and whether humans are essentially “good’ or “bad.”

(Also, if someone argues that other animals have self-interest, then they have backed into an argument about whether animals have a sense of self. How else could animals be “selfish?”)

Are Humans and Other Animals Altruistic?

Songwriter Tom Waits says, “We are monkeys with money and guns.” If the Eastern worldview is correct that “self” is a construct, soul is a fiction, and free will is (at least, largely) an illusion, then any bright line between humans and other animals blurs or disappears, and the world becomes much more understandable.

What is the “special sauce” that makes humans different from other animals? Some people think that we have “free will.” Why did you decide to get out of bed? Were you awake, bored or hungry? We call that agency or choice or will. Why did your dog decide to get out of bed? Was he awake, bored or hungry? We call that chemistry or conditioning or circumstance. Simply instincts.

What is the difference between the “choices” that we make and the instincts that drive behavior in other animals? Why would we assume that humans are NOT subject to the same instincts?

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