Altruism

The lecture contradicts the passage discussing altruism. In the lecture, a careful study of meerkats has
been discussed. According to the study, meerkats stand guard after having food, unlike mentioned in the
passage.

Another observation that was made was that the meerkat sentinel is the first one to escape since it is
the first one to see the predator. Also, the burrow is nearby so it doesn't have to cover a long distance
alone. This is again in contradiction with the passage's declaration.

Furthermore, the study found that the predator is likely to attack in a direction away from the cry of the
sentinel so the statement in the passage that the sentinel is at a greater risk is incorrect. The probability
of the predator assailing the group of meerkats foraging for food is higher.

The lecture also covered altruism in case of human beings. An example of donation of kidney has been
considered. This example explains that it would not be correct to assert that the donor is an altruist and
is not gaining anything out of the unselfish act he performs because he would receive appreciation from
the society and experience the feeing of self-worth. So, in a way he receives something non-material in
exchange for a materialistic object. This is another place where the lecture is in opposition to the
passage.

To conclude, it can be said that the altruist also receives something, latent or patent, in exchange for his
good deed.