These little critters are my favourite animals. They’re quite amazing creatures.
So when I saw an article on HowStuffWorks.com entitled “Are Meerkats Altruistic?” I thought I might share it with the world.
Just a snippet:
“For centuries, there’s been a debate over whether true altruism exists among humans. In philosophical terms, an altruistic act is one that a person performs for the benefit of others, but to his or her own detriment. Eighteenth-century Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant suggested that there’s no such thing as altruism — in every instance, the giver gets something in return for his or her generosity. This benefit can be as small as a sense of well-being for having helped someone else….
Meerkats have one of the most cooperative societies in the animal kingdom. These African desert dwellers are perfect subjects for an investigation into altruism….”
Here’s the whole article: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/meerkats-helpers.htm
For your enjoyment, here’s a great video link to these fantastic critters!http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1213900614/bctid1379245042
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2 comments
reuben// says:
May 21, 2008 at 11:01 am (UTC 10 )
haha! I wouldn’t have picked you
interesting though!
Jodie loves ‘em too – in fact you really best avoid the subject with her…The level of affection is kinda strange.
did you get into that meerkat manor tv show that was on a while back?
mark says:
May 21, 2008 at 1:33 pm (UTC 10 )
ha! yes, i’m an unashamed meerkat fan! I’ll definitely have to bring it up with jodie (when exams are over!)…
I did like that meerkat manor! unfortunately it was on the same time as church, so sadly I only saw a few! BUT – i have a meerkat video at home which does the job nicely – more than happy to share with jodie if she’d like!