[Serious] Literal and Not Literal

[Anomalocaris]

The desire to live is a pleasant disguise for the fear of death.   I have no problem indulging in the pleasantness.   But I know fundamentally why it is pleasant at all.

That doesn't seem to be true either. People will sacrifice their life for things of meaning. Like father willing to die for the sake of their loved ones, their children. In fact a man might be willing to die for the life of a stranger. 

Or those like MLK, and others who were willing to not just sacrifice their life, but willing to risk the lives of their family, for a cause they deeply believe in. 

Or German families hiding Jews even at the tremendous risk of getting caught and getting killed as result, is another example. 

Hell, even suicide bombers.

That is absolutely true, and would be obvious if you strip away the hagiography and flippant rationalization, and examine why is it that behavior seemingly counterproductive to the survival of individuals exhibiting the behavior nonetheless persist in the gene pool.


The fundamental criteria for what genes in a gene pool is to be selected by evolution is not the survival of the individual bearing the trait per se.   It is not even the survival of the lineal progenies of the individual bearing the trait.    Although in most circumstances these two help a lot.  


The fundamental criteria is survival of the genes that underlies the trait in the individual undergoing selection somewhere in the gene pool.  I might give my life to save my sister because my sister likely bear most of the same genes as me.   So giving my life ensures genes similar to mine, including the one that encourages me to sacrifice myself for my sister, survive.   

This is something which amateur depictions of evolution largely fail to grasp, depict or consider.

But this is most likely the underlying evolutionary behavioral mechanism by which people can be convinced to sacrifice themselves for others.  

It is the ability to account for the possibility that the objective of preserving their own direct gene line, which is the fundamental reason why there is instinct to preserve own life, does not necessarily provide the highest possible guaranty for the survival somewhere in the gene pool of genes defining one's own behavior, that facilitate the behavior you mention.

Evolution made it possible for humans to be convinced that the most fundamental objectives of survival, the survival of the genes underlying one's own behavior, is not necessarily best served by the survival of the individual in each circumstances.    It is sometimes best served by facilitating the survival of some perceived to have enough in common with us at the possible expense of our own survival.

In other words, evolution knows about direct survival of the genes through survival of the individual bearing it, and indirect survival of the genes through the sacrifice of some individuals bearing the genes.