The media constantly rages at us about the horrors of the world, while religious people preach that we are living in ‘end times’, but I show that goodness is the defining quality of the universe. Badness exists too, of course, but this leads to sickness of the mind and spirit, while goodness elevates us. Ultimately, you have to ask yourself why this should be so. 

Violence is ubiquitous, but it results in predominantly negative outcomes.

Look through history and you find an almost endless procession of violence, war, murder, and aggression. Human history is drenched in blood. It’s estimated that, of the 3,500 years of civilisation, only 8% of those years were without war. However, most people, even in times of war, don’t actively take part in combat. And, the global population grew from 1.6 billion in 1900 to 8.3 billion in 2026, so it’s clear that most people aren’t killing each other in wars.

Violence in animals is similarly red in tooth and claw. Both predatory and intraspecific violence, in which animals attack members of their own species, are widespread across the animal kingdom. Overwhelmingly, however, aggression and violent behaviour result in distress, both in humans and animals. The effects of fear are common, whether you’re a human being or a hare. PTSD, flashbacks, severe nightmares, and vivid recollections are common side effects of violent behaviour. Those that are cruel tend to suffer from perpetrator trauma, their emotions become numb and they detach themselves from those around them.

The causes of this behaviour are complex, but exposure to abuse, neglect, or violence permanently alters neurodevelopment. As in humans, only a fraction of animals display excessive aggression. Dysfunction in serotonin determines the violence. So yes, violence is ubiquitous in animals too, but again, it results in predominantly negative outcomes.

Being good is a human superpower

In marked contrast, kindness is a human superpower. It makes us feel good and the world seem like a much better place. However, kindness does more than just make us feel good; it actually bolsters our psychological and physical health. Kindness is linked to improved happiness and a reduction in stress, anxiety, and feelings of isolation. There’s hard science to say it boosts mood, compassion, empathy, and self-esteem. But if my claim of a transcendent good is to hold water, there has to be some science to it and evidence of it should be found beyond human experience. 

Kindness cannot be fully explained by evolution

To answer those questions we need to ask: why is kindness such a beneficial state of being? Darwin said kindness was ‘insuperable, and actually fatal to my whole theory’. Kindness has little evolutionary value. According to science, life has to be strong to survive. Genes are selfish. Ruthless even. Kindness is counterintuitive. It often takes away resources from those that have them to give them to competitors. 

Scientists have had many theories as to why kindness should be so beneficial to life, with little success. It used to be believed that organisms behaved cooperatively as a way of promoting the species, known as “group selection theory”, but this is now regarded with scepticism. It may partly be that helping those similar to us is a way of passing on our genes, but this does not explain benevolence towards those who do not share them. Another idea is shared altruism – “I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine”, but again, this does not explain kindness to strangers you’ll never meet again or when no one will see you do it. So kindness cannot be fully explained by evolution. It seems as though it has properties that transcend the science. 

Animals display kindness and morality too 

If my theory of universal goodness is correct, there would be evidence that it exists in the natural world too. Up until fairly recently, evidence was hard to come by. Now however, scientists have a growing understanding of morality in the animal kingdom. In his book The Bonobo and the Atheist, primatologist Frans de Waal argues that moral behaviour like empathy and altruism, co-evolved in non-human primates as well as in humans. A chimp, would rather share food with another chimp than keep it all for himself—as long as he knows that the other chimp actually receives it. In rats, researchers found that if a rat is given the choice between two containers—one holding chocolate and one holding a trapped rat who appears to be suffering—the rat will try to help the suffering rat first before seeking the chocolate. 

Scientist and author of Animal Wise, Virginia Morell says birds are capable of complex communication, elephants have long memories and strong social networks, and dolphins will act altruistically. Ants don’t rely on pheromone communication alone, but teach other ants by example and demonstrate amazing patience. Rats also engage in play like puppies do, and that they make a noise that resembles laughter.

Experiments like these show that animals make moral choices and that this behavior cannot be explained through natural selection alone.

Trees support sickly or diseased neighbours by giving them water and nutrients through their roots, birds warn others of nearby predators, and animals foster babies when they become orphaned. Nature, in contrast to the notions of survival of the fittest we have, is jam-packed full of examples of coexistence, mutual support, and kindness. 

Why is life like this?

Kindness is ubiquitous and appears to be a staple feature of living a good life, yet it serves little or no evolutionary benefit. Bad deeds, by contrast, make us ill and are a sign of a deranged mind, a toxic environment or a troubled upbringing. And people ostracise violent people and distance themselves. Being good on the other hand makes us feel good and people are drawn to goodness. For those who are religious, this is evidence of ‘good and evil’ and evidence that Holy Scripture is correct. That may or may not be true, but in any event, there is no clear and obvious reason why life is like this. It isn’t as though God is in the sky warning us to be good or we won’t go to heaven. It is far more subtle than that. It is like an invisible force woven into the fabric of reality that generations of people have discovered time and time again. God doesn’t need to punish the wicked because it’s encoded into the system. The game is rigged. We know the ending. Love and kindness win through. It’s damned favouritism if you ask me.

Sources

• Why is it nice to be nice?
• The healing power of kindness
• The false allure of group selection
• Finding Morality in Animals by Jill Suttie
• Psychological causes and effects of violence
• Animal models of excessive aggression
• Do wild animals get PTSD? Scientists probe its evolutionary roots
• Has there ever been a time without war?
• War death statistics
• Global population statistics

DISCLAIMER: I wanted you to know that I am not one of those eternally optimistic people who see the bright side of everything. I suffer severe depression and anxiety, and have a number of health conditions. I’m not rich and I was born in relative poverty without privilege. I hope that adds some context.