Can evolution make sense of chimp warfare and group torture? As for war, mortal attacks are led by a dominant male and result in increased availability of resources and females for him and his associates. So killing is comprehensible, but why bother torturing a victim to death?
Accounts of torture in chimps are however relatively rare compared to humans. Nevertheless, as we share 98.5% DNA with chimps, what is true for us could provide clues for chimps.
For psychologist Stanley Milgram, humans torture mainly because they have been ordered to do so. This is because the potential benefits, which include the sense of pleasing the leader, override the torturers’ conscience.
In chimp group torture, the attacking individuals may inflict excessive pain on their victim simply to win favour with the alpha male. Such favour could lead to an increase in their survival and reproduction chances.
