On the individual level, the one who is the most selfish and grabs the most resources is likely to be the most successful in the tribe, and will likely have more offspring; this is the trait that will be genetically selected.
On the tribe level, the tribe with the most unselfish people in it; the ones that are best at unselfishly cooperating to advance the well-being of the whole tribe, will be the tribe that succeeds. The tribe with the selfish ones in it will die out.
Put the two together, and in good times, when resources are plentiful and tribes prosper, the selfish people will prosper. In bad times, when tribes suffer hardship and may vanish, the unselfish ones will prosper. Then, once good times return, the most selfish individuals in these tribes will prosper. Yin and Yang, ebb and flow, back and forth. It explains a lot about our dual nature. |
