Example Of Altruism Essay

“Of Altruism, Heroism and Nature’s Gifts in the Face of Terror” is an essay written by Natalie Angier that argues that the human race is unselfish. The first example that Angier uses is the way firefighters put themselves in great danger to save others during the attacks on the World Trade Center. The second example she uses is the reaction that the passengers had on a plane that was en-route to attack Washington DC. The last example Angier uses is the public reaction of wanting to donate blood to local hospitals to help those who were in need of a blood transfusion. The primary form of appeal was pathos, and the secondary appeal was logos.
The purpose of this article was to argue that the human race is altruistic. The example of the World

After claiming humans are altruistic, the argument evolves into an argument against itself. A quote by Dr. David Sloan Wilson states, “Altruism is practiced within your group, and often turned off toward members of other groups”. The reference to September 11th can be used against the argument. The terrorists, who were human, plotted terror against another group of humans. While certain groups praise the qualities of humanity, some cultures do not teach or agree with the principles of humanity. The argument then spends a great deal of time explaining what other species of animals do. For example, in the instance of the red colobus monkey, Angier informed readers that “Males jump to the front, confronting the chimpanzee hunters while the others and offspring jump to safety”. While readers can understand the comparison between species the author is trying to make to her argument, it blurs the focus on humanity and altruism. Angier also stated, “Scientists acknowledge that the evolutionary framework for self-sacrificing acts is overlaid by individual choice”. Claiming that the human race as a whole, is altruistic, simply cannot be proven. Certain groups tend to be more altruistic than