Response to "The Evolution of Goodness"

I agree with the biological point of view that animals, including humans, display altruistic tendencies towards other individuals who are genetically closely related to them. This is very evident in our daily lives, where we are more than willing to help our relatives in their times of need, be it emotionally, financially or otherwise. That being said, I think that the theory only explains human kindness and magnanimity to a certain extent. How would you explain the countless numbers of people who dedicate their lives to helping people in impoverished countries or to a cause which they feel strongly about? Our ability to reason, understand, think and empathise differentiates us from other animals. As such, our motivations for engaging in acts of altruism cannot be explained with a simple mathematical equation. It goes far beyond that.