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Paul Bloch's picture

Evidence of the Soul: Altruism

Submitted by Paul Bloch (guest) on Sun, 01/27/2008 - 5:22pm.

I had more of a leaning towards Crick and Dickinson, but what you said made me think.
I feel that if behavior was completely biologically based (if it was all attributed to the brain), then all behavior would be for a reward. In other words, the brain is a more advance and strategic nervous system that we developed for survival.
Hence, it is confusing to me why we exhibit altruism - it has no purpose in terms of survival. Therefore, I think acts of altruism must be attributed to something else. Perhaps altruism (and moral judgment as Penn said) are behaviors that are constructed by the mind/soul.

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