The Evolution of Morality

PARADIGMI ◽  
2012 ◽  
pp. 173-196
Author(s):  
Stephan White
Keyword(s):  
Social Institutions ◽  
Tragedy Of The Commons ◽  
Evolution Of Morality ◽  
Morality Plays ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Commons ◽  
One Step

It seems clear that cooperation when cheating would go undetected - for example, in many-person prisoner's dilemmas or "tragedy of the commons" cases - is a precondition of the functioning of modern social institutions. Such cooperation seems difficult to explain in evolutionary terms, however, since those who are disposed to cheat seem to enjoy a systematic advantage relative to those who are not. Further- more, the appeal to mechanisms for the detection and punishment of noncooperation, since those mechanisms themselves presuppose cooperation, merely pushes the problem one step back. In this paper I argue that morality plays an ineliminable role in the explanation of the forms of cooperation in question. Moreover, I provide a schema for the evolution of morality in the face of the advantages that those disposed to cheat apparently enjoy.

Survey fatigue and the tragedy of the commons: Are we undermining our evaluation practice?

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Adrian Field
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Tragedy Of The Commons ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Evaluation Practice ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Gathering Data

The arrival of low-cost online and automated survey technologies has substantially increased the possibilities for gathering data on people’s views and experiences. In the face of COVID-19, this has enabled continued outreach to people at a time when face-to-face surveys are often impossible. Yet the enhanced opportunity for gathering data also brings with it the danger of its over-use, and with it, the onset of survey fatigue. In this piece, I discuss the challenges of survey fatigue, and I ask if we are treating people’s patience and trust in research processes as a limitless resource, when in fact goodwill has its limits. Parallels are drawn between survey fatigue and the concept of the “tragedy of the commons”, in which systems of exploitation ultimately undermine their own viability. Finally, I explore possible responses, and our obligations to exercise our evaluative practice with due care for research participants, and the sustainability of our profession.

Market Failure, the Tragedy of the Commons, and Default Libertarianism in Contemporary Economics and Policy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Budolfson
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Market Failure ◽  
Government Intervention ◽  
Tragedy Of The Commons ◽  
Important Change ◽  
Individual Freedom ◽  
Market Failures ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Commons

Many political theorists take the phenomenon of market failure to show that arguments for libertarianism fail in a straightforward way. This chapter explains why the most common form of this objection depends on invalid reasoning, and why a more sophisticated examination of the relevant economics has led most contemporary economists and policy experts to a view that might be called Default Libertarianism, according to which the strong default for public policy—even in response to market failures—should be toward decentralized, pro-individual freedom policies that involve minimal government intervention in markets. Some experts (but by no means all) similarly believe that even in the face of substantial market failures, libertarian policies are generally best all things considered. This shift toward more libertarian policy represents an important change from the middle of the twentieth century. This chapter explains the structure of the arguments that have led to this shift.

"Once? No. Twenty times? Sure!" Repeated decisions and uncertainty in the tragedy of the commons

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Hardisty ◽  
Howard Kunreuther ◽  
David H. Krantz ◽  
Poonam Arora
Keyword(s):  
Tragedy Of The Commons ◽  
The Commons

scholarly journals Modeling the ecology of parasitic plasmids

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime G. Lopez ◽  
Mohamed S. Donia ◽  
Ned S. Wingreen
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Modeling ◽  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Tragedy Of The Commons ◽  
Fitness Costs ◽  
Metapopulation Model ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Modern Biotechnology ◽  
Natural Ecology ◽  
Unique Plasmid ◽  
Competing Populations

AbstractPlasmids are autonomous genetic elements that can be exchanged between microorganisms via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Despite the central role they play in antibiotic resistance and modern biotechnology, our understanding of plasmids’ natural ecology is limited. Recent experiments have shown that plasmids can spread even when they are a burden to the cell, suggesting that natural plasmids may exist as parasites. Here, we use mathematical modeling to explore the ecology of such parasitic plasmids. We first develop models of single plasmids and find that a plasmid’s population dynamics and optimal infection strategy are strongly determined by the plasmid’s HGT mechanism. We then analyze models of co-infecting plasmids and show that parasitic plasmids are prone to a “tragedy of the commons” in which runaway plasmid invasion severely reduces host fitness. We propose that this tragedy of the commons is averted by selection between competing populations and demonstrate this effect in a metapopulation model. We derive predicted distributions of unique plasmid types in genomes—comparison to the distribution of plasmids in a collection of 17,725 genomes supports a model of parasitic plasmids with positive plasmid–plasmid interactions that ameliorate plasmid fitness costs or promote the invasion of new plasmids.

The Motherhood Experiences of Non-Birth Mothers in Same-Sex Parent Families

2021 ◽  
pp. 036168432110030
Author(s):  
Anna McInerney ◽  
Mary Creaner ◽  
Elizabeth Nixon
Keyword(s):  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
Parental Rights ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Birth Mothers ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
The Face ◽  
Parental Identity

In this qualitative study, we explored the experiences of non-birth mothers whose child(ren) were planned and conceived within their same-sex relationship. We conducted semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 14 participants in Ireland. We transcribed the interviews verbatim and analyzed the data using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Our findings comprised three superordinate themes: A Question of Recognition, An Insecure Connection, and Carving Your Own Way and related subordinate themes. Motherhood experiences were characterized by resilience and vulnerability in parenting their children without legal parental rights and within a heteronormative society that privileged biological motherhood. The dynamic relationship between seeking connection and seeking legitimacy that is at the heart of the participants’ experiences of motherhood is highlighted. Participants encountered challenges to their maternal legitimacy within their families and communities and in their interactions with legal and social institutions. Participants described using various strategies to reinforce their parental identity. Despite the challenges, participants were engaged in constructing satisfying parenting roles. The findings highlight the importance of legitimizing the parental identity of non-birth mothers. Therapists should be sensitive to the additional marginalization of non-birth mothers in same-sex parent families. Validating their vulnerability and their resilience in the face of obstacles may enhance their coping resources.

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