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Darwin lecture focuses on altruism and evolution
Next in "Darwin Bicentennial Birthday Celebration" is Feb. 10
EUGENE, Ore. -- (Feb. 3, 2009) -- "Play nicely with others." It’s an admonition that every parent gives their children, but is it a principle that works in the natural world?
Altruism, the selfless concern for the well-being of others, is a core virtue in many societies and religions. But ever since Darwin wrote about cooperation and altruism, scientists have had a love/hate relationship with these behaviors. Warren Holmes, University of Oregon psychology professor, will explore the paradox of cooperative behavior in "The Evolution of Cooperation and the Paradox of Altruism," at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10. It is the second talk in a UO lecture series celebrating the life and work of Charles Darwin.
At the core of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is the notion that genetic selfishness will prevail — yet cooperation and even acts of altruism are not uncommon in the natural world.
"Darwin was well aware of the paradox that cooperative behavior posed for his theory of natural selection," said Holmes. Darwin wrote, for example, that the remarkable cooperation that occurs in many social insect colonies was "…one special difficulty, which at first appeared to me to be insuperable, and actually fatal to my whole theory."
"Evolutionary theorists have made considerable progress toward understanding how selection could have designed animals that seemed to care more for their neighbors welfare than their own, yet one still hears questions like 'Does true altruism even exist?'" said Holmes, who teaches courses in evolutionary psychology and animal behavior.
Holmes will examine cooperation and altruism in a Darwinian framework, drawing on examples from an array of species that often manifest cooperation in the midst of their own genetic selfishness.
The lecture will take place in Room 182 of the Lillis Business Complex, 955 E. 13th Ave.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Patrick Phillips, professor of biology, 541-346-0916, pphil@uoregon.edu
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