Reply to comment

Evolution has dictated that we are not only "rewarded" for ensuring our own individual survival and behaving in such a way that would benefit our own individual genetic legacies, but also, the survival and genetic legacies of those within a group, species, etc. There is a net benefit in helping the "survival" of others in biological and evolutionary terms, the more we ensure the safety, or even the quality of the lives of the other members of our biological groups, the more genetic material unique to our species is likely to remain in circulation and is avialable to be passed on. Even at the cost to an indiviudal's particular chances of survival (such as in very severe circumstances such as the famous example that considers the pros and cons in terms of genetic material of saving a sibling or a cousin from drowning versus a stranger) acts of altruism have remained as part of our behavior because they are ultimately beneficial to the survival of our species i.e. in the example of the drowning sibling/cousin/ stranger the worst possible outcome  is that both the victim and rescuer drown and the gene pool is depleted by two individuals; however, the other 2/3rds of possible outcomes are that one of or both of the indviduals invovled surive and remain in the gene pool, capable of continuing the species (i.e. either a benefit by 2 is obtained that otherwise would not have been, or only 1 individual is lost and nothing has changed (neither gained nor lost) from the original situation). Smaller acts of alturism, giving a homeless person a buck, or giving up your seat on the train to an elderly person, are also ways that we  ensure that other members of the species have a better chance of survival, at healthy activity/quality of life in a social group. It is also by doing favors for others at the cost of our time or resources that we establish reciprocal relationships (i'll scratch your back if you scratch mine type of situations), even if we don't directly expect to be rewarded for it. It also just makes group living easier, less friction and stress (and thus, less potentially fatal fights, longer, healtierh lives with more chances for reprodcution, and more chances for offspring to survive to adulthood if they are being raised by mutliple individuals who look out for them on some level, tc.) is present in a group if all members behave in alturistic ways. Of course this is not to say that all acts of kindess are so calculated, and in most cases they are not, but stem from a place that we tend to call "kindness for kindness's sake" "out of the kindness of my heart", etc. However, this unknonw compulsion just tends to suggest that this alturistic impluse comes from some hard-wired biological trait that has presisted over the eons of our evolution. It has persisted to the point where it appears without conscious reason because it is indeed extremely beneficial to both out indiviual survival and the survival of our species.