I am writing in response to Reg Moores' letter, "Bestial by nature" (August 13).

This doom-laden correspondence with a Darwinian inference raises some interesting enquiries into the real nature of humans.

Mr Moores states that although we have animal and human emotions and feelings, the animal often over-rides the human.

This is because our base urges are allowed to dominate over reason and logic. Mr Moore goes on to say that the animal in us makes us tribal, warlike pack creatures, who follow our leaders like dogs.

It is a common fallacy to suppose that genetically inherited traits are fixed. Our genes may instruct us to be selfish but we are not necessarily compelled to obey them.

It may just be more difficult to learn altruism than it would be if we were genetically programmed to be altruistic.

We should not lose sight of the importance of our base instinct, instincts which are as important as the corporeal structure necessary for the welfare of each species.

Mr Moore alludes to the corruption of politicians, in politics for their own profit and power. The economist Adam Smith observed that the disposition to admire and worship the rich and the powerful and to despise and neglect the poor is the most universal cause of the corruption of our moral sentiments.

We frequently see the respectful attentions of the world more strongly directed towards the rich and the great than towards the wise and virtuous.

We may be pre-eminent but it would be better not to view the whole of creation as a phylogenetic scale of importance. We should view ourselves as part of the inter-relationship in the web of life and act accordingly.

-David Hammond, Hassocks