Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site sdcrdcf.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!oliveb!hplabs!sdcrdcf!markb
From: markb@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Mark Biggar)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Evidences for Religion (reposting)
Message-ID: <2176@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 22-Jul-85 16:41:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.2176
Posted: Mon Jul 22 16:41:48 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 25-Jul-85 07:36:20 EDT
References: <1182@pyuxd.UUCP> <800@umcp-cs.UUCP> <1202@pyuxd.UUCP> <2127@pucc-h> <618@cybvax0.UUCP> <2155@sdcc6.UUCP>
Reply-To: markb@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Mark Biggar)
Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica
Lines: 26
Summary: 

In article <2155@sdcc6.UUCP> ix415@sdcc6.UUCP (Rick Frey) writes:
>That's not really true that killing someone's relatives makes one less
>environmentally fit.  Many species of animal fight among the siblings
>due to limited resources and a great number of animal, bird, fish etc.
>young leave their parents quite soon after being born and never see
>their parents again.  They most certainly have nothing to do with
>killing their own parents (they aren't capable in almost all cases) and
>if their parents die, that's not a trait that could get passed on.
>
>And with humans the argument falls to pieces.  If a person's parents die
>he's less likely to have children?  Where did that statistic come from?
>And if you're arguing for an instinct lodged in the back of our mind
>from ages past, then again, I would point out that as human beings we
>have gone beyond instincts in many ways andd such a simple explanation
>of why we don't murder wouldn't hold water in any realistic analysis of
>what determines behavior.

The problem is that the argument was used backwards.  Killing your relatives
doesn't make you any less fit.  But, protecting your relatives (who share
genetic material with you) increases the chances that your genes get passed
on to future generations, even if YOU have no offspring.  This can be the
basis for the evolution of altruistic behavior (at least toward your
relatives).

Mark Biggar
{allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,akgua,sdcsvax}!sdcrdcf!markb