The phenomenon of altruism in biology has been argued over with such intensity of feeling that the very idea has lost much of its amiable aspect, and instead of being a newly recognized, rather delightful fact of life to be reflected on in puzzlement, it has become the topic of an intermittently ill tempered doctrinal dispute among professionals over how nature, in general, works. It is at the center of today's bitter arguments over the issue of sociobiology.There are now two sides, both ideologic. They are in agreement that there is such a thing as altruism, and part of . . .