Frans de Wall illustrates the idea that our morals have been shaped through the process of evolution in his essay, “The Ape and the Sushi Master.” De wall discusses the two types of ethics in society as being, “functional altruism,” and “nature, red in tooth and claw” and how they have been affected by evolution and have influenced society. Functional altruism is defined as the process in which, “one individual gains from another actions- does not necessarily rest on tended kindness, in which someone else’s well-being is the goal” (de Wall, 652) The idea of “nature, red in tooth and claw” is the exact opposite of functional altruism, it

The morals that are instilled in a person are not given to us at birth, rather they are taught to us as we grow up and develop in society. Each person varies in the morals that they believe in. This helps arise the question: are humans good because they choose to be or are they like this because of they that they are taught? De Wall touches upon this question in his essay when he explains idea of committing an act to save someone when your owe life is at risk. He stated, “Even if rewards come after in the form of a medal or a moment on the evening news, this is of course never the motive” (p654).

is the survival of the fittest, the struggle to survive through the competition of resources between animals.

Gould basically feels we must look within ourselves for the answers we seek to find. We will not find the answers we are looking for by using scientific experiments but by being true to ourselves and understanding ourselves.

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