This is News For Objectivists--"Microbes may encourage altruistic behavior
Posted by Zenphamy 8 years, 3 months ago to Philosophy
Maybe it's more than (or simpler than) religion or faulty philosophy that leads to the animosity that Objectivists encounter when we try to explain why we are opposed to a philosophy that encourages Altruism and we propose "selfishness" as a morally justified and rational approach to life. Makes a lot of sense to me. From the article:
"Why do people commonly go out of their way to do something nice for another person, even when it comes at a cost to themselves—and how could such altruistic behavior have evolved? The answer may not just be in our genes, but also in our microbes.
In a new paper, researchers Ohad Lewin-Epstein, Ranit Aharonov, and Lilach Hadany at Tel-Aviv University in Israel have theoretically shown that microbes could influence their hosts to act altruistically. And this influence could be surprisingly effective, with simulations showing that microbes may promote the evolution of altruistic behavior in a population to an even greater extent than genetic factors do.
"I believe the most important aspect of the work is that it changes the way we think about altruism from centering on the animals (or humans) performing the altruistic acts to their microbes," Hadany told Phys.org.
This places an entirely new perspective on the idea of a physical Gulch or just avoiding those that don't get Ayn Rand.
I always knew that the "Others"" weren't well.
'
"Why do people commonly go out of their way to do something nice for another person, even when it comes at a cost to themselves—and how could such altruistic behavior have evolved? The answer may not just be in our genes, but also in our microbes.
In a new paper, researchers Ohad Lewin-Epstein, Ranit Aharonov, and Lilach Hadany at Tel-Aviv University in Israel have theoretically shown that microbes could influence their hosts to act altruistically. And this influence could be surprisingly effective, with simulations showing that microbes may promote the evolution of altruistic behavior in a population to an even greater extent than genetic factors do.
"I believe the most important aspect of the work is that it changes the way we think about altruism from centering on the animals (or humans) performing the altruistic acts to their microbes," Hadany told Phys.org.
This places an entirely new perspective on the idea of a physical Gulch or just avoiding those that don't get Ayn Rand.
I always knew that the "Others"" weren't well.
'
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The social scientist(?) ultimate wet dream.
I don't worship AR, by the way. There were things that she didn't study, or knowledge not available to her many years ago.
Nor do I think Objectivism should be a cult.
So this report immediately stirred my WTF neuron sparks. What's the benefit of this type of study or suggestion--what's the agenda? Why the interests in behavior modification by subversive (beneath consciousness) means?
In a little conspiracy imagining, I've seen lately a few papers and reports on developments and tests of synthetic microbes, one of which is able to successfully 'fool' natural cells. There's also been some recent releases of studies that have shown a correlation between autism and the microbial makeup of the gut, implying a causative relationship.
So WTF and what's the agenda?
That was a very memorable movie for me. I watched it after school one day until the 6pm newscast cut it off and the station never broadcast the ending! As a naive teen I kept thinking it would come on after the news, but it didn't. I watched for it but I didn't see the ending until perhaps 10 years later when Turner broadcast it on the "superstation".
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