Richard Dawkins has written about the concept of "selfish" genes. But selfish genes don’t mean selfish individuals since one gene on its own will not win the battle for life. The collective of selfish genes in the genome need therefore to work together so that each of them can realise the aim of their selfishness by pulling together so each of them can have a chance of surviving and reproducing.
Working for the common good of the organism means working for the survival of other genes in the hope that they will do the same. There is therefore an obvious incentive to cheat.
It is the same with human societies. It is one of the marks of a healthy society that it, on the hand, encourages co-operation and, on the other, discourages cheats who take advantage of others. If a group or a society is able to suppress "selfishness" that is, actions which encourage others to act in a way which is apparently advantageous to the individual but disadvantageous overall then it will be strong and easily able to overcome "selfish" groups and societies.
It is absolutely vital that the law, the state and public opinion condemn and punish "selfishness".
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