I've always suspected that there was something more to the selfish gene idea. I don't believe that our programming is simply to perpetuate the interests of our genes.

I believe a lot of our genes seek to perpetuate the interests of our gene pool. I believe that this is as good of an explanation for the existence of virtue as is that "selflessness turns out to benefit your self-interest."

I want to go one step further and say that our genes also seek to perpetuate the interest of the land.

Eco-fanatics make it seem like humanity is engaging in some unique sin by destroying Mother Earth, when I bet there were many tribes in the past that abused and plundered their land to their own peril. I believe that these tribes died off, and the ones that lived on now have a genetic predisposition of compassion to the environment.

You do have to ask why big civilizations have historically passed away. How come they didn't just reduce themselves by half to a more sustainable size, rather than becoming extinct all-together? When they died off, who and what survived?

Human Evolutionary Psychology Book

Why do people resort to plastic surgery to look young? Why are stepchildren at greatest risk of fatal abuse? Why do we prefer gossip to algebra? Why must Dogon wives live alone in a dark hut for five days a month? Why are young children good at learning language but not sharing? Over the past decade, psychologists and behavioral ecologists have been finding answers to such seemingly unrelated questions by applying an evolutionary perspective to the study of human behavior and psychology. Human Evolutionary Psychology is a comprehensive, balanced, and readable introduction to this burgeoning field. It combines a sophisticated understanding of the basics of evolutionary theory with a solid grasp of empirical case studies.

I purused this book at Borders today... some of the topics blew my mind. I may buy it later, but if I don't, I hope you do and fill me in on it.

Evolutionary Psychology FAQ

In man's evolutionary history, which emerged first, acceptance of convenient thoughts or the desire for accurate realities? On the one hand, it seems obvious that convenient thought evolved first because those are based on the most simplest forms of reasoning. On the other hand, survival must have mandated that man have an accurate conception of his confreres. We have both today, both fantasy and non-fiction. Which should deserve our stronger hand?