ABSTRACT
Is a willingness to help others an inherited characteristic? According to the theory of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin, behaviours are naturally selected if they promote survival and reproduction. A behaviour that is costly therefore should not be selected. Individuals with such traits would not reproduce and so we should not observe altruism in the animal world. However, acts of altruistic behaviour have been observed in many species of animal: rabbits, bees, wasps, termites, birds and dolphins as well as humans. This is known as the ‘paradox of altruism’ and according to natural selection it should not exist, but it does.
