ABSTRACT
In The Descent of Man, originally published in 1871, Charles Darwin (1871/1998, p. 131) arrived at the conclusion that reciprocity was the foundation stone of morality, writing that “. . . the social instincts-the prime principle of man’s moral constitution-with the aid of active intellectual powers and the effect of habit, naturally lead to the golden rule, ‘As ye would that men should do to you, do ye to them likewise;’ and this lies at the foundation of morality.” In citing a Christian tenet, was Darwin simply being ethnocentric? Was the belief system of his own culture unduly influencing his thinking? Or, conversely, does this Christian sentiment actually reflect, as Darwin asserted, a true underpinning of morality? This chapter suggests that anthropological data across many cultures correspond with Darwin’s supposition that reciprocity constitutes a central feature of morality. This idea is referred to as the reciprocity principle.
