Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This thesis has investigated whether species other than humans would feel emotionally committed to honesty, and if they would feel this commitment towards other species. We have used data from a wide variety of sources, including comparative, behavioural, and neural studies, computational analyses, and mathematical and theoretical works. We have found that our neural circuitry predispose animals towards discounting temporally distant benefits, thus favouring cheating in public goods problems. In humans, this has been fixed with an emotional reaction against dishonest behaviour. We discuss several mechanisms which may have promoted cooperation in similarly advanced species, and also which factors could influence cooperation between different species. We conclude that cooperation is likely to have evolved in species advanced enough for civilisation, but that interspecies cooperation is likely to face significant challenges.
Source: BIBSYS Brage (BIBSYS (Norway))
Author: Inge Solheim Storkaas
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2502536260