POLL: Why Do WE CARE About OTHERS?

Question

Were mammals, in general are purpose is to stay alive, "fight of the fittest" Yet why do we care about others? Try and not be really obvious. In sense every other human is competition

Answer 1

Because we are a social animal, we exist in groups. One human alone does not do well in the way that say, a tiger, can. We need help from others, whether in child rearing, food gathering, care for the elderly. We developed this instinct as caring for others helps the individual survive in their group. Our group is probaly related, so we share genes, thus the more of us survive, the more of the genes we share will be passed on. (which is the whole point of evolution) So it is actually pro-evolution as more of our species can survive and dominate.
We are still subject to evolutionary pressures, but we now know that we don't care indiscriminately.
The reason we can let people in other countries starve is because they are not part of our group, probably don't share our genes, so we want to out-compete them. We have an instinct to ignore suffering too. (Unpleasant as that is)

Answer 2

I'm not sure we do. We seem to help mainly those who we can speak to and see.
I wonder if that comes from when we lived in close knit extended family tribes.
For example you walk out your front door and there is a 6 year old blind kid starving to death, what do you do ?
I guess we pick the kid up and feed and nurture it, then get medical attention. At the hospital after this orphan has gained weight a doctor says a minor inexpensive operation would restore the sight, most would gladly pay !
This is happening to millions of kids around the world, we see it often on TV and in the media, we know it's true; yet what do the vast majority do ? We continue eating our dinner and say that's sad; we do nothing !
So, I think caring for others is too broad a statement to apply to human nature, perhaps caring for those we perceive as "our own" is more apt.

Answer 3

Humans are not the only ones who care for others of their own kind. Think about it. If we did not care about others, what would stop us from killing others all the time, to stay 'above the competition'? Humans are pack animals naturally, so we strive to keep those around us healthy. Though in some cases, we take this too far...

Answer 4

Tigris and Ellie have it right. Humans are social animals, and thrive in groups - that's been the secret of our success for thousands of years. From hunting in packs to the extreme specialisation of modern society, we do better together than we do as individuals.

It's a misunderstanding of natural selection to think that it always means competing with every other organism. Co-operation is frequently a good survival strategy.

Richard Dawkins' books, especially The Selfish Gene, are very good at explaining this. One of this theories is that it's the genes themselves, not the actual person, which are "trying" to reproduce across the generations - so co-operating with someone who is related to you could mean that copies of some of your genes survive into the next generation.

Answer 5

we care because of feelings, which we have evolved to feel because in history humans have gained alot from cooperation.
i don't like when everyone says it's down to genes and selfishness. the direct reason we do things to help people is because of feelings. These feelings are a result of evolution. Nobody sets out saying I'm going to help somebody today so that I become more prosperous lol.

Answer 6

Hello,

(ANS) If you read what Mazlow has to say on this subject its very interesting. (also see Mazlow's Hierarchie of needs which is pyramid shaped).

No.1 We care for others because we have a vested interest in doing so. Our own survival may indeed depend upon it at times.

No.2 Humans have self interest and by caring for others we get something back or gain something. And I don't always mean material things more an emotional or psychological benefit.

**What you give comes back in kind (from my experience), what goes around comes around (clichéd as it sounds it has truth).

**Giving to others means that my needs get met to in the process.

**We care for others because we have blood ties and this means we put a priority (usually but not always) on the care and well being of those who are closest to us in our family group or tribe.

**We have emotional attachments to those who we are closest too, this means we have dependency upon them to too them. We need them as much as they need us (mutual dependency).

It all comes down to satisfying our deep emotional needs, our needs for closeness, love and the need to belong, be needed & so forth. Its not really a big mystery, this is a fundamental human process and you can find it literally any where across the world. In any group of peoples.

Hope that makes sense?

Kind Regards Ivan

Answer 7

who said we care more or less than any other mammal. We just dont know how other creatures feel. I believe when a yew looses her lamb (or whatever creature) there is a sense of loss. But they seem to be able to accept it. This doesnt necessarily mean they dont feel sad or dont care. Does it????

Blimey that was a bit deep!!!

Answer 8

Honestly? Sometimes I don't care about other people.

And I don't think I should feel guilty about it either. We aren't given an instruction manual on how to live, so I do the best I can. If that means I don't always like another person and/or don't care about them, so be it.

I can almost guarantee you that secretly most people feel this way too, but are too embarassed to say so. It's so cliche to say you care about people because that's the meaning of life, blah blah blah.

Answer 9

generally evern mammals tend to care more for their own spicies than others, we also have higher brain functions allowing us to see the benifits of caring for our own. Our civilisation will in turn grow and we will all reap the beifits, hence we may feel it is our duity to help one another in order for our spices to survive. But some people (me inclded) just do it out of the kindness of there hearts.

Answer 10

This is more of a philosophical question instead of a scientific one. Since it is objective instead of subjective you will get many different answers...all of them right or all of them wrong depending on how you look at it.

Also, humans have negated "survival of the fittest" because we can, to a degree, control our immediate environment.