The Evolution of Goodness, Justice and Empathy

We humans often display acts of kindness and generosity. As it turns out, nonhumans are also good to one another, sacrificing to help those around them.  But why?  Why do both humans and animals show such altruistic, self-sacrificial behavior? Scientists and philosophers have long pondered these questions.  In a fast-moving, action packed talk, I will bring us up to date on what we know and what we don’t know about the roots of goodness by focusing on both the fascinating history of this subject, which includes true stories that are the stuff of movies, and the latest, cutting edge research in the field of evolution and behavior, including my own work on altruism.

Dr. Dugatkin is a Professor and Distinguished University Scholar in the Department of Biology at The University of Louisville. His main area of research interest is the evolution of social behavior. His lab studies the evolution of cooperation, the evolution of aggression, the interaction between genetic and cultural evolution, the evolution of antibiotic resistance, and the evolution of risk-taking behavior. Dr. Dugaktin has spoken at over 125 universities, written 150 articles on evolution and behavior, and authored two widely-used textbooks including: Principles of Animal Behvaior and Evolution.