Evolved Altruism, Strong Reciprocity,and Perception of Risk

摘要

Humans have a long history of coping with particular recurring risks. We expect natural selectionto have resulted in specific physiological and psychological adaptations that respond well to theserisks. Why, then, does it seem so difficult to communicate risk? We suggest that the human mindhas been structured by natural selection to use a mental calculus for reckoning uncertainty andmaking decisions in the face of risk that can be substantially different from probability theory,propositional calculus (logic), or economic rationality (utility maximization). We argue that thisis because of the unique armamentarium of strategies humans have evolved to cope with therisks faced during our long history living as hunter–gatherers. In particular, we believe the risk ofsocial contract violation (not contributing a fair share to cooperative endeavors) was an importantselective factor because reciprocity, reciprocal altruism, and cooperation are primary adaptationsto the most important risks our ancestors faced.