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The concept of reciprocity may very well be hardcoded in human nature, because it is such an effective strategy.
by emfle 19y ago
The concept of reciprocity may very well be hardcoded in human nature, because it is such an effective strategy.
- dood 19y agoExactly what I meant to say but somehow missed, thanks!
- mattmaroon 19y agoI don't think so. Humans typically display that behavior in person, but not behind each other's backs. Humans aren't hard coded to actually be fair, they're only hard coded to give that appearance.
- pg 19y agoI think most people feel bad when they do something mean and good when they do something virtuous, even when no one is watching. It's hard to say whether it's nature or nurture, but it's definitely there.
- jey 19y ago"It's hard to say whether it's nature or nurture ..." The (extremely fascinating) field of evolutionary psychology gives some pretty convincing arguments that our brains are hard-wired for reciprocal altruism. Hard-wiring of reciprocal altruism in the form of emotions like guilt and gratitude is one of the main reasons humans can form these large and mostly stable social structures. EvPsych basically makes one important observation and asks the natural question leading from it: Just like our eyes and hands, our minds have also been developed in response to evolutionary pressures. What were these pressures and how do they account for the features we see in ourselves, like language, love, laughter, crying, etc?
- corentin 19y agoYes, if by "something mean" you imply that there is some damage (e.g. if you break your neighbor's window when no one is watching). When you download some file, you can't do damage. I both pirate and buy movies, music, books, etc. Whether I choose to pirate or buy something is only a matter of convenience, not a matter of moral. I bought your books while they are available legally and for free on the web just because I prefer the convenience of a book to badly rendered fonts on a LCD screen, not because I felt good giving you money :) edit: it's no surprise that a fundamental assumption of economics is that individuals only act in their interest.