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I have yet to hear a convincing evolutionary argument for altruism
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You really don't? Humans live in societies, and generally speaking, we do not tend to do very well when we're alone. To be part of a society with a group of others, various behaviors are adapted over time that help us stay a member of the group without being shunned, ostracized, or kicked out. Because being shunned leads to being alone which leads to a lesser rate of survival - and obviously, a lesser rate of reproduction because you need other people to make babies and pass on your genes. The Golden Rule exists because generally speaking, if you're a total dick, people don't want to hang out with you as much and that sucks. There are obviously exceptions to the rule, and some people who are terrible end up doing just fine or even end up in positions of authority. Humans also have a habit of being so invested in the group and not being alone that we tend to be followers, which can be taken advantage of by shit people.
But it isn't much of a leap to say that because we live in groups where cooperation helps, humans tend to cooperate. To me, it's more of a leap to think that we cooperate and help each other not because of the immediate benefits we see here in the physical world, but for the promise of unknown and unverified spiritual benefits after we die.