During human evolution, individuals interacted mostly within small groups that were connected by limited migration and sometimes by con ‡icts. Which preferences, if any, will prevail in such scenarios? Building on population biology models of spatially structured populations, and assuming individuals'preferences to be their private information, we characterize those preferences that, once established, cannot be displaced by alternative preferences. We represent such uninvadable preferences in terms of …tness and in terms of material payo¤s. At the …tness level, individuals can be regarded to act as if driven by a mix of self-interest and a Kantian motive that evaluates own behavior in the light of the consequences for own …tness if others adopted this behavior. This Kantian motive is borne out from (genetic or cultural) kin selection. At the material-payo¤ level, individuals act as if driven in part by self-interest and a Kantian motive (in terms of material payo¤s), but also in part by other-regarding preferences towards other group members. This latter motive is borne out of group resource constraints and the risk of con ‡ict with other groups. We show how group size,