From Inclusive Fitness to Spiritual

From Inclusive Fitness to Spiritual Striving The notion of “selfish genes” (and, by extension, selfish organisms) was popularized in Richard Dawkins’ 1976 book by that title. Not long afterwards, an article appeared in Science that presented evidence that the most vicious members of a warlike tribe in South America had the most wives and children. The underlying notion was one of (genetic) survival of the fittest: Those warriors who were particularly vicious were more likely to contribute their genes to the gene pool. Methodological objections have left this an open question, however, and new evidence now exists that calls this interpretation into question (1): the most aggressive warriors may have more children but they have /ower indices of reproductive success than their milder brethren in part perhaps because the most aggressive warriors and their offspring are also more likely to be the targets of revenge killings. These new data are entirely consistent with John Cacioppo’s argument that the content of the human gene pool has more to do with the reproductive success of one’s offspring than one’s own reproductive success. Cacioppo argued further that this genetic selection resulted in a social brain that seeks meaning and connection with individuals and with social entities (e.g., groups) that extend beyond other individuals. In the next chapter, theologian Don Browning also embraces the concept of inclusive fitness and, through the writings of Thomas Aquinas, shows how religion serves the human need for meaning and connection through the ethics they advocate, the congregations they form, the institutions they represent and the God they serve. In his view, ? Page |30 religion serves to extend love and connection beyond kin. He further argues that new developments in the sciences and long-standing traditions in theology constitute fertile ground on which to build new and testable hypotheses regarding our fundamental human nature. 1. S. Beckerman et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S. A. 106, 8134 (May 19, 2009). HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_021276