SOME PROBLEMS WITH ALTRUISM IN THE SEARCH FOR MORAL UNIVERSALS

Sociobiological arguments for altruism as a universal moral behavior selected for at the genetic level are examined, and strengths and fallacies in sociobiological reasoning are exposed. Then, a broader context is created for asking questions as to the causes of moral universals. The moral system is proposed as a universally present subsystem of the social system, one which has crucial guidance component functions. Within this guidance component, the importance of rational decision making in the moral field is stressed as one easily observable cause for many universal moral behaviors. This in turn suggests some new routes for sociobiological speculation with respect to moral systems and their adaptive functions. Copyright © 1979 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.