Personal response to the article The Evolution of Goodness (Handout 4)

Drawing from this article and your personal experience, say why you believe human beings are willing to do good to others.



For the past four thousand millennia, man has evolved from primitive tree swinging beasts to the upright walking intellect of today’s modern standards. How is it that an originally average species of mammals has sustained itself throughout these years to become the masters of today’s planet Earth? The answer, I believe, is that this particular community has been sustaining each other in times of dire circumstances. In other words, they have been “doing good” to each other. The origin of this act can be classified into two categories, one of them is blood kinship, and the other is reciprocity.

Firstly, the roots of doing good can be traced back to blood kinship. By blood kinship, I mean that a person is related to another through blood, or even genetically. When a person’s family members or relatives are in danger, they feel obliged to support and provide aid to them. This sense of responsibility is brought about as one has feelings of love and care for his own family members, and does not want them to suffer. They will thus do their best to intervene in the hope of saving their loved ones. An example in the real world would be worker bees. Worker bees are altruistic, meaning that they would sacrifice themselves to protect their hives. This originally went against Darwin’s theory of evolution, but it was later found that the bees were actually protecting blood relatives in the hives. These blood relatives are genetically similar to the worker bees, and by practicing altruism, they could potentially save the lives of hundreds of blood relatives. These bees indirectly ensured the continuity of the passing down of its own genes. This example shows that good deeds can be done in the hope of protecting one’s family. Personally, my mother has also displayed such behavior, and she has stood up to numerous bullies that harassed me, just to make sure that I am safe.

The second motive of doing good is reciprocity. Reciprocity, put simply, means “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”. Humans might sometimes help others, hoping that someday, the recipient might return the favour. This kind of doing good, although being calculative and somewhat untrue in nature, is still a form of doing good. In such a relationship, both parties will receive mutual benefits, and this in turn helps in their survival. An example would be the clown fish and the sea anemone. The clownfish, being territorial, protects the anemone from anemone eating fish, and the anemone provides shelter for the clown fish. I, too, have had such experiences. Being a water polo player, I know that the key to playing well is teamwork. By coordinating our passing, shooting, and defending, we will be able to defeat the opponent as a united body. Whereas if we were to solo, we would definitely be crushed. As can be seen, reciprocity is an extremely strong reason for a person to do good. Both parties profit, and at the end of the day, everyone is happy.

In conclusion, I believe that human beings are willing to do good to others because of the factor of blood kinship, and reciprocity. In helping others, some people bear their family in mind, and others might be thinking about their own well being. However, if everyone does good to each other, this world would be a better place.