Altruism grew directly out of the competition between groups, and what to do about it now

“Hereditary altruists form groups so cooperative and well-organized as to out-compete non-altruists groups.” (E.O. Wilson “The Social Conquest of the Earth.”)

Altruism grew directly out of the competition between groups, with successful groups having more social bonding and cohesion, which passed on those altruistic genes. When the Inward Path to the God Within of the revealed religions affirmed universal altruism it was largely based on not caring much about material things, while seeking the non-material universal Father Within. But this actually discouraged the competitive conditions necessary for altruism. The new “enemy” was the personal but universal desires of the flesh.

A religious way to accommodate natural in-group altruism is needed, and this can be understood in the hierarchy of group values, beginning with ones own group and moving out gradually with lesser altruism to the world and universal humanity. Raymond Cattell's work is helpful on this subject. For example, when the world is threatened then universal altruism more naturally influences human beings, but daily existence naturally keeps altruism at home where it originated and works best.

This suggests “cooperative competition” as an important value, rather than trying to make strangers love one another universally, especially when this call for equality is done in a second hand way, since the call comes from the ascetic religious base of traditional religions which doesn’t really care much about material life. The “universal”can enter in with objective international sociobiological research centers, working along with evolutionary religion, to help guide our evolution toward Godhood. All groups can naturally evolve in their own unique ways, while residing in their own ethnic cultures and states, with real altruism, without trying daily to impose a quixotic universal equality, leading to a global imperialist perspective that doesn’t really work.