ABSTRACT
Moral codes make social life possible in the face of the socially disruptive, selfish and assertive propensities of individuals and the conflicts of interest that are intrinsic to group life. All humans need to feel that their behaviour is in some degree autonomous, but group living demands that autonomy be curbed in some respects. That everybody has the capacity to behave in a self-assertive and socially
disruptive fashion needs no elaboration, for it is antisocial behaviour that catches the headlines. But it is equally true that everybody has the capacity to behave prosocially, and it would make sense for an individual to direct his/her prosocial behaviour to individuals who were likely to reciprocate. In Chapter 12 I mentioned that genetic selection for prosociality is unlikely to be the basis of prosocial reciprocity in large groups, but the bases of prosociality could be ascribed to cultural group selection. The principle of ‘Do as you would be done by’ is probably basic in all cultures. In this chapter its implications are explored.
