Franz DeWaal has noted recently that reciprocity can exist without morality; there can be no morality without reciprocity. Given this, is becomes clearer why DeWall has uncovered the very first step in the direction of the Golden Rule in Chimpanzees who began following the reciprocity rule "Do as the other did, and expect the other to do as you did. This is what we might think of as Reciprocal Altruism, which has three characteristics:

1. The exchanged acts, while beneficial to the recipient, are costly to the performer.

2. There is a time lag between giving and receiving.

3. Giving is contingent on receiving.

This process is evidently a lot more complicated than simultaneous cooperation. There is, for example, the problem of the first helpful act - a gamble, since not every partner necessarily knows to follow the rule that they need to reciprocate. The first individual to help with something could not be sure that the same act or something similar would logically follow. Reciprocal altruism differs from other patterns of cooperation in that it is fraught with risk, depends on trust, and requires that individuals whose contributions fall short be shunned or punished, lest the whole system collapse. Yet Reciprocal Altruism is at the heart of human societies that we think of as "simple cultures" in an anthropological sense.

The chief purpose of friendship as anthropologists have discovered is mutual support and only naturally this develops primarily between individuals with common interests - who need to work for the mutual benefit of each other. Monkeys and apes make sharp distinctions between kin and nonkin as well as between enemies and friends. What seems to make human societies so durable and successful is out ability to magnify the Golden Rule that chimpanzees follow.

What is most vivid is the character of friendship in Chinese society when one looks back on the "Great Adventure". As an anthropologists, I found the Reciprocal Altruism of the people to be a mainstay of society as strong as kinship bonds that China is known for. People give without real tangible return. They take gambles in their giving but if forms the basis of friendships, which is the real benefit. Giving is done without an expectation of return but there is a general expectation that if one gives then something good will occur at some point in the future. It does not have to be from the one who received but is defined as a general return of some sort. In other words, Chinese don't count as they give; they just do.

Chinese philosophy is rich in this sense of Reciprocal Altruism and is rooted in the writings of Confucius. Chinese philosophy is not directed toward at what may lie beyond the known world. It is not to increase positive knowledge but to elevate the mind and reach out for the values that are "higher than the moral ones". It is about one's behavior in society. One can easily expect that this stems from the fact that China has always been a populated place over the last four or five thousand years since domestication initiated people's ability to manage their own food supply. In daily life, this philosophy is the "way" or the "path" that one should strive to follow and should guide the lives of everyone.

China is based on an agricultural way of life that focuses on loyalty, unselfishness, obedience, relationships to ancestors, and a strong family. Greek philosophy that drives much of our behavior in this country is not derived from this same base and is a distinct as a result.

There are four values that one needs to understand that underpin the Reciprocal Altruism one finds in China today. These are ancient values that are tacitly passed through the generations. They are: righteousness (or Yi), benevolence (or Ren), conscientiousness (or chung), and altruism (or shu). Loving others is the essence of the human condition. Human heartedness is founded in loving others and the ability to perform duty in society without tangible rewards. The essence of "chung" is to do to others what you wish yourself and of shu it is do not do to others what you do not wish yourself. It is interesting to an anthropologist that the Chinese for our discipline is "ren lei xue". This translates roughly as human - kind - study of. Ren is the crucial word. It actually can be written in two ways. The first is as it applies to the term "anthropologist" - as human. In its second form is stands for the relationships between two people. It stands for the virtue that one should strive to achieve.

The philosopher Mencius saw two important aspects of human behavior. The first of these is the practice of loyalty and tolerance. Chinese are loyal to friends. They are tolerant of things around them and can easily forgive a friend. The second aspect of Mencius we ought to explore briefly is a saying that goes: if men have satisfied their hunger, have clothes to wear, and live at least but lack good teaching, they are close to birds and beasts...and between friends there should good faith. Again one finds the essence of forming a basis for Reciprocal Altruism. Good faith, loyalty, and forgiveness are at the heart of a solid friendship.

Finally, we can look at the following from Confucius.

I examine myself three times daily: Have I done something unfaithful to others? Have I done something insincere to my friends? Have I reviewed what I learned?

A great man has a good knowledge of righteousness whereas a small man has that of profit- making.

Everyone desires wealth and higher rank. Nevertheless, one should not accept them if his aim is not achieved in a right way. Everyone dislikes poverty and lower rank. Nevertheless, one should not try to get rid of them if his aim is not achieved in a right way.

I would still feel happy even if I had to eat coarse food, drink nothing but water, and take my arms as a pillow when asleep. Wealth and higher rank, if gained without righteousness, mean no more than a flying cloud to me.

A superior man is generous but not wasteful; he is diligent without complaint; he has desires but is not greedy; he is great but not arrogant thereby; he is awesome but not fierce.

Superior men keep harmonious relations with each other but they never form cliques. On the contrary, inferior men tend to form cliques but fail to keep harmonious relations with each other.

There are three sorts of friends that are helpful, and three sorts that are harmful. Friendship with the upright, with the trustworthy, and with the learned is helpful. Friendship with the obsequious, with the outwardly kind but inwardly wicked, and with those of cunning words is harmful.