Could Human Altruism Have Evolved Because of War?

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By Eliza Strickland
Jun 5, 2009 7:35 PMNov 5, 2019 8:59 PM
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It may sound like a paradox, but a new theory suggests that one of humanity's most noble instincts, altruism, evolved on bloody battlefields in prehistoric times. Evolutionary biologist Samuel Bowles argues that prehistoric culture may have selected for individuals who behaved altruistically towards other individuals in their social groups. The story begins with the

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