But..but..Capf, where is the disagreement? It is a survival instinct that is hardwired into the DNA. The biologists ask: WHY do we survive? Not because of altruism, is the conclusion. Altruism is not favoured by evolution; it is at the expense of the self; can be detrimental to self interest and therefore is not selected.
To my mind, none (except for the bees) of the utterly charming anecdotes posted above have anything to do with altruism. It might have to do with emotions and feelings of love, caring, nurturing same as we have. Not survival. The biology of altruism is connected almost exclusively with survival and propagation of the species.
As for the bees that sting honey raiders and in the process die themselves.... one striking aspect of almost all such warrior insects is that they are sterile!! No problems therefore with propagation or having to survive to propagate.
