Response to Class 02/24

What interested me about the group discussion concerning Ruse and Wilson, was the question of to what extent do Ruse and Wilson favor genetic determination? Basing off of what I read, I think they strongly believe genetics play an important role in our society, they state other aspects, but it seemed they always intertwined back to biology and genetics. Personally I believe the environment plays a huge role, in what you believe or what you do, and with that could necessarily not do with genetics. For example, I have learned many things from my peers, and not from my parents, and presumably I learn these things without genetics taken into consideration. I think Ruse and Wilson are correct to a certain extant but just based off of how our environment is, I believe the environment is a huge aspect also.
Along with altruistic and selfish; I think these two categories really just intertwine. For example, there is a squirrel that lives in the plains, that sends out an alert call to all female family members when prey is approaching. The females are the only ones in the nest, because the males have to leave the nest at a young age. This species is being altruistic, by saving their own kind, but at the same time, they're being selfish because they are only saving the females, since the females will be the ones in charge of reproduction. The males have to defend for themselves, and then come back during mating season. One can be altruistic and selfish, but fully could not just be one or the other. If there is an example someone would like to throw out, that is one or the other, that would be great, I can't think of a single one.