Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Dawkins suggests that altruism is not innate and must be actively taught because human nature is naturally selfish.
- In plain terms
- We need to learn to be generous since we are naturally self-centered.
- What can you take from it?
- Teach positive traits rather than assuming they come naturally.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is selfishness truly inherent?
- How do we teach altruism effectively?
Another view
This view ignores evidence of innate empathy in infants.
More from Richard Dawkins
I am not advocating a morality based on evolution. I am saying how things have evolved. I am not saying how we humans morally ought to behave.
Permalink to quote #14 Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to, because we may then at least have a chance to upset their designs, something that no other species has …
Permalink to quote #16 We are survival machines - robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes. This is a truth which still fills me with astoni…
Permalink to quote #13
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