Evolutionary Theories and Alternate Explanations Essay Example

an organism’s behavior (Weiner, 1992). However, biosociologists realized that there are also factors that should be taken consideration. The hormonal changes the replacing mate has undergone are examples of these factors (Weiner, 1992). These surely affected the result of their experiment. To test some hypothesis, I had conducted an interview regarding Evolutionary Theory. I asked Mark, a friend of mine, to answer one of the questions presented by Dr.

Bernard Weiner. Here the question goes: “You are on a boat that overturns. It contains your 5-year-old and your 1-year-old children (of the same sex). The boat sinks and you can save only one. Whom do you choose to save? The 5-year-old or 1-year-old? ” (Weiner, 1992). Upon hearing the question, he asked me if he really need to answer it because it was a tough one. But I insisted. He paused for a while, thought of the answer for a moment, and finally answered. He said he would choose to save his 1-year-old child rather than his 5-year-old one.

He told me that it was a hard decision to choose who between his children he will save. But upon making up his mind, he automatically explained why he chose to save the younger over the older child. He said that his 5-year-old child was born fours years before his 1-year-old child was. The former had experienced and learned a lot of things more than the latter had. “Why won’t you give a chance to the younger one to experience and learn things like the older had? Why would you take away from your 1-year-old child the chance to live in this world? he

claimed.

He also added that it would be more painful to see that your very young child caught in a sinking boat and you won’t do anything to save him/her. “Imagine that how pity it looks like” (A personal interview with Mark Senoran). Upon hearing that, I have realized that evolutionary has something to do with his answer. According to some sociobiologists, there is what we called “altruism”. Altruism is a behavior in which you will do anything for the survival of others even if the risk is your own life (http://www. altruists. org/about/altruism/).

In contrast to Darwinian’s theory regarding evolution, sociobioligsts have contented that it is not merely the survival of one’s self; rather the maintenance of one’s genetic pool is the ultimate goal. An example is the heroic deed done by a parent in saving her children’s lives. A fire started to burn a family’s house. The children were trapped inside the house. The first thing a parent would always do is to save his or her children. It is an instinct in every parent. He/She would risk his/her own life just to save his/her children (Weiner, 1992).

It is an example of altruistic behavior of human. According to their experiments and researches, it is evident that in most interviews regarding that same question, many would choose to save their 5-year-old child over their 1-year-old one. This is because “selfish altruism”. Selfish altruism deals with organisms and their way of maintaining their genetic pool (Weiner, 1992). It is seen in such question like that. You would choose to save your 5-year-old child over the other. Your 5-year-old child was born

fours years before his 1-year-old child was.

The former had experienced and learned a lot of things more than the latter had. It would be more difficult to repeat what you have done before and then what continue what you have repeated than to just continue what you have done. The older child had started to have his/her own reasoning and learn things by himself/herself unlike his younger child. But in contrast to that, my friend chose to save his 1-year old child rather than his 5-year-old one. This is what the role of the alternative interpretations. It explains why some people would do what is not expected to be.

In the case of considering some factors in their experiment about a pair of mountain birds with their newborns, the result was somehow affected. As in this question, they also considered certain factors. There are certain facial and bodily configurations associated with infants. Some of these are large forehead, shortened limbs, small nose, and small chin. These features usually make us give sympathy to them. We prefer to like younger children more than older one because of these “cute” features they have. Hence, if a person would encounter the same situation in that question, these factors would merely affect his/her judgment and reasoning.