The psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg believed humans developed through stages of moral reasoning in their lives, from doing good because we are told to do good, to doing good for rewards, to doing good to fit into social groups, to doing good because reason impels us. I think, I “do good” for all the reasons Kohlberg identifies, but also because I’m biologically hard wired to do so due to evolutionary pressures. Cooperation is a highly valued personality trait that probably contributes more to our survivability than we give it credit for.

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