There is no such thing as a purely altruistic act. In Frans de Waal's essay, The Ape and the Sushi Master, we learn how all acts of kindness root from some knowledge of selfish gain. Both Lani Guinier (Second Proms and Second Primaries) and Mary Kaldor (Beyond Militarism, Arms Races, and Arms Control) call for a change in the way certain groups are represented in society. Guinier calls for revision in our democratic voting system, while Kaldor discusses the need for a universal humanitarian law. In explaining the root of altruistic acts, de Waal says, "the helping responses of dolphins, gorillas, or people toward strangers in need evolved in the context of a close-knit group life in which most of the time such actions benefited relatives and companions willing to repay the favor" (de Waal 654). Guinier's and Kaldor's ideas on the advancement of human justice can only come to fruition through the application of de Waal's hypotheses on reciprocity. .
If the laws of nature, described by de Waal, were applied to everyday life, we shall see Kaldor's standards for .humanitarian laws being fulfilled. De Waal discusses of the system of morals that exists within the world of animals. He writes, "Their psychology contains many of the ingredients that, if also present in the progenitor of humans.must have allowed our ancestors to develop a moral sense. Instead of seeing morality as a new invention, I tend to view it as a natural outgrowth of ancient social tendencies" (de Waal 664). There is a collective set of standards in the animal world. If we applied these "rules" seen in the animal kingdom to how we as humans treat each other, we would see Kaldor's dream of a humanitarian state come to pass. She defines it as "the main task is to construct some form of legitimate set of global rules. This is.about establishing a set of global regimes underpinned by states, international institutions, and global civil society.
