Envy Reduction in Economics: Equity, Altruism and ‘Cultural Group Selection’

2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-151
Author(s):  
Gianrocco Tucci
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Structured Populations ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Evolutionary Processes ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
The Common ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Cultural Evolutionary

Abstract This paper develops a set of arguments for envy reduction within economics. It tries to show that, if humans are psychologically biased towards accepting the group social norms, such as imitating the common behavior which may also happen to be the most successful in solving the puzzle of decision making, then cultural evolutionary processes will favour and stabilize cooperation. Then, the article discusses how, once cooperation is stable, ‘cultural group selection’ is likely to spread group-beneficial cultural traits - such as altruism considered here as the opposite of envy - through structured populations.

When is the spread of a cultural trait due to cultural group selection? The case of religious syncretism

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Santana ◽  
Raj Patel ◽  
Shereen Chang ◽  
Michael Weisberg
Keyword(s):  
Group Selection ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
Cultural Trait ◽  
Cultural Systems ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Religious Syncretism

AbstractThe reproduction of cultural systems in cases where cultural group selection may occur is typically incomplete, with only certain cultural traits being adopted by less successful cultural groups. Why a particular trait and not another is transmitted might not be explained by cultural group selection. We explore this issue through the case of religious syncretism.

The cooperative breeding perspective helps in pinning down when uniquely human evolutionary processes are necessary

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Maria Burkart ◽  
Carel P. van Schaik
Keyword(s):  
Cooperative Breeding ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Social Transmission ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Great Ape ◽  
Evolutionary Processes ◽  
Cultural Group Selection

AbstractThe cultural group selection (CGS) approach provides a compelling explanation for recent changes in human societies, but has trouble explaining why our ancestors, rather than any other great ape, evolved into a hyper-cooperative niche. The cooperative breeding hypothesis can plug this gap and thus complement CGS, because recent comparative evidence suggests that it promoted proactive prosociality, social transmission, and communication in Pleistocene hominins.

How evolved psychological mechanisms empower cultural group selection

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Henrich ◽  
Robert Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
Intergroup Competition ◽  
Evolved Psychological Mechanisms

AbstractDriven by intergroup competition, social norms, beliefs, and practices can evolve in ways that more effectively tap into a wide variety of evolved psychological mechanisms to foster group-beneficial behavior. The more powerful such evolved mechanisms are, the more effectively culture can potentially harness and manipulate them to generate greater phenotypic variation across groups, thereby fueling cultural group selection.

Mother–infant cultural group selection

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Chisholm ◽  
David A. Coall ◽  
Leslie Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Group Selection ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Cultural Group Selection

AbstractRicherson et al. argue that “cultural group selection plays an essential role in explaining human cooperation.” We believe that cooperation came first, making culture and thus cultural group selection possible. Cooperation and culture began – and begins – in mother–infant interaction.

Can Group-Functional Behaviors Evolve by Cultural Group Selection?: An Empirical Test

1995 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Soltis ◽  
Robert Boyd ◽  
Peter J. Richerson
Keyword(s):  
Group Selection ◽  
Empirical Test ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Cultural Group Selection

Human evolutionary history and contemporary evolutionary theory provide insight when assessing cultural group selection

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustin Fuentes ◽  
Marc Kissel
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
Relevant Evidence ◽  
Current Proposal

AbstractRicherson et al. provide a much needed roadmap for assessing cultural group selection (CGS) theory and for applying it to understanding variation between contemporary human groups. However, the current proposal lacks connection to relevant evidence from the human evolutionary record and requires a better integration with contemporary evolutionary theory. The article also misapplies the Fst statistic.

scholarly journals Cultural group selection is plausible, but the predictions of its hypotheses should be tested with real-world data

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Turchin ◽  
Thomas E. Currie
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
World Data ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
Target Article

AbstractThe evidence compiled in the target article demonstrates that the assumptions of cultural group selection (CGS) theory are often met, and it is therefore a useful framework for generating plausible hypotheses. However, more can be said about how we can test the predictions of CGS hypotheses against competing explanations using historical, archaeological, and anthropological data.

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