People who believe in the evolutionary explanations of our psychology often believe that our every action is a selfish act of self-gain deep down. We know full well that this is counter-intuitive, and seems rather far fetched. Well, it could well be that altruism, and morals, do help us survive. Not as individuals, but as a species.

Image a species who's only concern was themselves. They fight for food, a mate, and think nothing of their killing anyone who gets in their way. How long would this species survive? Not long. Any species with characteristics like these would quickly die off, leaving only the more considerate, (like us), behind. Individuals who now arise with no morals will be feared and hated, eventually, they will be destroyed. This is why morality has been ingrained so deeply into our consciousness.

Those who argue that it is a negative-state-relieval, fail to ask why natural selection would lead to this outcome. Sure it makes us feel better to help someone out, but it must serve some purpose or it would have been ironed out. That purpose: survival of the race.

This is why morality exists in every single culture and every single religion, ingrained so deeply into our collective psyche. It is driven by our emotions, all of which have survival value for the race. Doing anything 'evil' or 'wrong' goes against our most base instincts and thus we hopefully will stop, sparing that helpless child. All morals were invented by man - based on their most basic emotions - which is why they cross the borders of culture and religion, (religion too is a reflection of our psych, but that's another story... ).

So if you're faced with a moral dilemma, you should follow your most basic feelings and you will be doing the right thing. No matter what someone else says, your emotions should guide your actions, they are there for a reason and they will guide you well.

There is actually evidence to show that we are more prone to illness if you feel 'shame' or 'guilt'. A recent study in Psychosomatic Medicine showed that students who were told to write about an event they felt ashamed of showed a drop in their natural bug-fighting chemicals. Not only that but obviously those who are more honest and generous will be in more kind regard. Sometimes however, following your in-built moral compass can mean going against the grain, upsetting friends or family, risking things important to you. Times like this are the test of true man, like Optimus Prime.

Mack LeMouse

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