Year: 2004
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Social scientists have long debated the extent to which humans are motivated by prosocial concerns versus material self-interest.While the 2 0 ~ century focus on self-interest has received support from traditional Darwinian theory, there is currently renewed interest in prosocial emotions, due to factors such as work by experimental economists and a reconsideration of group selection within biology.The dissertation has two parts, related by the common theme of altruistic preferences.Part 1 examines the debate on which units are subject to Darwinian selection.Do these units include genes, organisms andor groups of organisms?Due to difficulty in explaining altruism as an organism level adaptation, biologists proposed that selection might act upon groups allowing for group level adaptations.During the 1960s and 1970s, group selection fell into disrepute.Various models suggested that it was unlikely to be biologically important and alternate explanations of altruism were provided.Currently, although group selection is receiving serious reconsideration, the "units of selection debate" remains unresolved.I argue that this failure is due to widespread acceptance that the largest replicators (heredity units of selection) correspond to genes.It is proposed here that replicators exist at a variety of levels, including genes, organisms and groups.Higher level replicators are constructed from lower level replicators via inheritable strategies for assortment into groups, allowing for adaptations at multiple levels.Part 2 examines some potential effects of altruistic preferences for behaviour and information.When making decisions, altruists attempt to account for both private material net benefits and external consequences.High private material benefits may lead to asocial choices, but at the cost of negative social emotions, i.e. "cognitive dissonance".Dissonance can be reduced ex post by "selectively exposure" to (choosing or avoiding) information sources that report that one's behaviour is respectively prosocial or asocial.The aggregate effects of such "selective attention" affect information demand potentially biasing information sources, which can then affect behaviour in two-way feedback with potential for lock in to low welfare equilibrium.The dynamics of activity choices and information are modeled with application to 1) transition from feudal to market economies, and 2) environmental damages and policy. DEDICATIONThis thesis is dedicated to Dad, Mom, Sara, Polly, Charlotte, Thomas, Sophie, Eric, and Sweetpea, the cat, who have provided support and encouragement during the graduate school experience.much encouragement and for reading and making many useful comments on the various versions of this thesis as it evolved.Also many
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Ruth Ellen Forsdyke
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2162999647