What is Symbiosis?

Life is inherently selfish. In the natural world, the end goal of all organisms is to ensure their DNA is passed down over generations, preserving the immortality of the replicator. In order to accomplish this goal, evolution takes all opportunities it is presented with and uses them. This selfishness is one of the most misrepresented topics in biology. Here’s why:

When one thinks about selfishness, one often visualize a bully or person without any care for others. As a result, they view the idea of life being selfish as repulsive. However, by following the mechanical processes of evolution, it becomes clear that this is not the only type of behavior selfishness can induce.

Ultimately, everything that is done in one’s life is selfish. People help others because it brings them pleasure. This goes for everything from helping a friend with homework to donating millions to charity. The reason for the selfish intent present in everything is not because of apathy towards others. In fact, the reason for this behavior is because of the way human perception evolved.