The Life Of George Price - 1564 Words

The life of George Price is one example of total selflessness. Throughout his life, George Price was a fluctuating and ever changing scientist. Accepted to Harvard and the University of Chicago, he eventually obtained a doctorate degree in chemistry. Price worked on the Manhattan project, a program during World War I focusing on building an atomic bomb. He later went on to work in various fields such as computer science, psychology, politics, and eventually moved to London where he discovered his love for evolutionary studies. He examined himself in the concept of altruism and kin selection. He eventually created an equation for this concept of selfishness versus altruism. Called the covariance or Price equation, this formula tested†¦show more content†¦Price finally underwent a conversion to Christianity and submerged himself in a life of pure altruism. Giving money, clothes, or food to homeless people and those in need, Price became the epitome test subject to disprove his own theory. Over time, Price became depressed, quiet, and very isolated within his own mind. This state of being led him to suicide over the Christmas of 1974 (Bankston). The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond all decent contemplation. During the minute that it takes me to compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive, many others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear, others are slowly being devoured from within by rasping parasites, thousands of all kinds are dying of starvation, thirst, and disease. It must be so. If there ever is a time of plenty, this very fact will automatically lead to an increase in the population until the natural state of starvation and misery is restored (Dawkins 85). George Price is one of many cases of people converting in to the beliefs of altruism and complete selflessness. But in the end, even people as extraordinary as George Price must accept the fact that without some form of consideration for one’s self, the burdens of life will be a heavy component in dragging down the human mind. The natural order of life has to have some amount of suffering in order to function.