Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Altruism01:03

Altruism

Altruistic behaviors are “unselfish” behaviors—those that help another individual at the expense of the individual carrying out the behavior. Despite the negative consequences for the altruistic animal, these behaviors are thought to have evolved for several reasons.
Inclusive Fitness00:57

Inclusive Fitness

Most altruistic behavior—in which one animal helps another at a cost to themselves—occurs between relatives. Scientists think these altruistic behaviors evolved because they increase the inclusive fitness of the animal providing help.
Egoism and Altruism01:55

Egoism and Altruism

Voluntary behavior with the intent to help other people is called prosocial behavior. Why do people help other people? Is personal benefit such as feeling good about oneself the only reason people help one another?
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
Reproductive Cloning01:27

Reproductive Cloning

Reproductive cloning is the process of producing a genetically identical copy—a clone—of an entire organism. While clones can be produced by splitting an early embryo—similar to what happens naturally with identical twins—cloning of adult animals is usually done by a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
In SCNT, an egg cell is taken from an animal and its nucleus is removed, creating an enucleated egg. Then a somatic cell—any cell that is not a sex...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Closed-Loop Neurotechnologies, Agency and Mental Interference.

AJOB neuroscience·2026
Same author

Can AI-Predicted Complexes Teach Machine Learning to Compute Drug Binding Affinity?

Journal of chemical information and modeling·2025
Same author

Even with diet and exercise, Ozempic use reduces perceived effort and praiseworthiness of resulting weight loss.

Social science & medicine (1982)·2025
Same author

Will Human-Animal Chimeras Cause Moral Confusion? Exploring Public Attitudes.

Journal of bioethical inquiry·2025
Same author

Should We Use Behavioural Predictions in Organ Allocation?

Bioethics·2025
Same author

An Intuitive, Abductive Argument for a Right against Mental Interference.

The journal of ethics·2025
Same journal

Neurobiological Determinism versus Human Freedom: Competing Explanatory Models and the Hope for Moral Enhancement.

The Journal of medicine and philosophy·2026
Same journal

Zygotes are Persisting Organisms.

The Journal of medicine and philosophy·2026
Same journal

Ethical Examination of Genetic Enhancement from the Perspective of Confucian Human Dignity.

The Journal of medicine and philosophy·2026
Same journal

Reproducing Anachronism: Ageing, Fertility and Inequality in Reproductive Governance.

The Journal of medicine and philosophy·2026
Same journal

Genetic Moral Enhancement-A View Based on Mencius' Theory of Human Nature.

The Journal of medicine and philosophy·2026
Same journal

Egalitarian Justice and the Prevalence Principle in Human Genome Editing.

The Journal of medicine and philosophy·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

Using a Comparative Species Approach to Investigate the Neurobiology of Paternal Responses
07:59

Using a Comparative Species Approach to Investigate the Neurobiology of Paternal Responses

Published on: September 19, 2011

Procreative altruism: beyond individualism in reproductive selection.

Thomas Douglas1, Katrien Devolder

  • 1Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, Littlegate House, St Ebbes Street, Oxford OX1 1PT, UK. thomas.douglas@philosophy.ox.ac.uk

The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy
|July 17, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Parents should consider the well-being of others when making procreative selection decisions. A new principle, Procreative Altruism, suggests choosing a child who benefits others, alongside existing individualistic principles.

Keywords:
behavioral geneticseugenicsgenetic selectionpreimplantation genetic diagnosisprocreative beneficence

More Related Videos

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients
07:34

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients

Published on: August 22, 2018

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies
10:50

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies

Published on: November 8, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 9, 2026

Using a Comparative Species Approach to Investigate the Neurobiology of Paternal Responses
07:59

Using a Comparative Species Approach to Investigate the Neurobiology of Paternal Responses

Published on: September 19, 2011

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients
07:34

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients

Published on: August 22, 2018

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies
10:50

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies

Published on: November 8, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Bioethics
  • Reproductive Ethics
  • Moral Philosophy

Background:

  • Current procreative selection debates primarily focus on the future child's well-being.
  • Selection decisions significantly impact the well-being of others, with potential for opposing effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce and advocate for a new ethical principle in procreative selection: Procreative Altruism.
  • To propose a dual-principle model combining Procreative Altruism with existing individualistic selection principles.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of ethical principles in procreative selection.
  • Development of the Procreative Altruism principle and its justification.
  • Defense of a two-principle model against potential objections.

Main Results:

  • Existing individualistic selection principles neglect the well-being of third parties.
  • Procreative Altruism posits a moral imperative to select a child who maximizes benefits (or minimizes harm) to others.
  • The proposed model integrates consideration for others' well-being into reproductive decision-making.

Conclusions:

  • Parents have a moral obligation to consider the impact of their procreative choices on the well-being of others.
  • Adopting Procreative Altruism alongside individualistic principles offers a more comprehensive ethical framework for procreative selection.
  • This approach addresses the broader societal implications of reproductive decisions.