Many species exhibit altruism to a level at least as great as that in humans. Some insects, which are incapable of feeling social pressure, are far more altruistic than humans.
Two theories for how this happens are kin selection and group selection.
Yes—but there are more theories when dealing with social creatures. Reciprocal altrusim is well known.
There’s also the idea that memes promote human ultrasociality by pushing humans into close proximity with each other, so the memes can infect new hosts. For more on that hypothesis, see:
There’s also the idea that memes promote human ultrasociality by pushing humans into close proximity with each other, so the memes can infect new hosts.
Yes—but there are more theories when dealing with social creatures. Reciprocal altrusim is well known.
There’s also the idea that memes promote human ultrasociality by pushing humans into close proximity with each other, so the memes can infect new hosts. For more on that hypothesis, see:
My Memes and the evolution of human ultrasociality
Why Humans Cooperate: A Cultural and Evolutionary Explanation
A Cooperative Species: Human Reciprocity and Its Evolution
The Meme Machine
That’s an interesting idea.
For more on the topic, perhaps see the references of my Memes and the evolution of human ultrasociality.