http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/do-%e2%80%98bad-apples%e2%80%99-make-the-whole-bunch-nicer/ Research news from leading universities Sat, 25 May 2013 17:29:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/do-%e2%80%98bad-apples%e2%80%99-make-the-whole-bunch-nicer/comment-page-1/#comment-569862 Roy Niles Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:30:43 +0000 http://www.futurity.org/?p=297712#comment-569862 Good example of how the wrong assumption finds evidence to prove it right in mathematical modeling. There are no separate sets of cheaters as opposed sets of altruists in nature. These are strategic behaviors that, depending on the group and its purposes, can be adopted in different circumstances by the same people, or learned in different circumstances by the same children, etc. Most biologists can't get over the presumpttion that cheating (which is actually a deceptive strategy) is a genetic trait, and altruism is a separate genetic trait. This is obviously wrong when you realize that the same people use these strategies alternately, and also can learn to replace one strategy with another. (I wrote about this a bit in a book that nobody understands when they read it, but what else us new.) Good example of how the wrong assumption finds evidence to prove it right in mathematical modeling.
There are no separate sets of cheaters as opposed sets of altruists in nature. These are strategic behaviors that, depending on the group and its purposes, can be adopted in different circumstances by the same people, or learned in different circumstances by the same children, etc. Most biologists can’t get over the presumpttion that cheating (which is actually a deceptive strategy) is a genetic trait, and altruism is a separate genetic trait.
This is obviously wrong when you realize that the same people use these strategies alternately, and also can learn to replace one strategy with another. (I wrote about this a bit in a book that nobody understands when they read it, but what else us new.)

]]> http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/do-%e2%80%98bad-apples%e2%80%99-make-the-whole-bunch-nicer/comment-page-1/#comment-569842 Joseph Dillard Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:36:54 +0000 http://www.futurity.org/?p=297712#comment-569842 I am having difficulty how this does not describe capitalism. Will someone please enlighten me? I am having difficulty how this does not describe capitalism. Will someone please enlighten me?

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