As far as we are concerned, there are at least three main levels of survival: of the individual, of the group, and of the species as a whole (you could also argue that there is a "genetic" level - see some of Richard Dawkins' work, but I will leave that out of the discussion for the moment). What is good for one, may not be good for the other, so there is always a tension, which you find again and again through history, when individuals need to decide whether their own interests come first, or that of their offspring, family, or some other group. (I think it is safe to say we only really started to think seriously in terms of survival of the whole species around the time we became powerful enough to wipe ourselves out).
And despite the fact that everyone has struggled with this question at some point in their life (and usually many times), we have yet to find satisfactory answers to the dilemma how to choose between the group and individual. In part, that is because it is not a question of either/or, you need both simultaneously.
Just a thought.
