Sam Farr and Bob Sadler

In his controversial and seminal book, The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins described the human gene as having a drive for survival that is ruthlessly selfish, but he then pointed out that humans are not ruled by our genes. The fact that our genes prefer us to be selfish simply means that we need to be taught how, when and where to be selfless. Our culture is a tool for teaching us how to overcome our genetic preference and gain some balance. Our social, economic and political institutions generate ideas and experiences that reinforce the degrees to which we are selfless and selfish. What are those institutions teaching us today? What do we want them to teach us? In our discussion of sacrifice for the greater good, we will take an unvarnished look at where we are and where we want to go.