Nifty excerpt in the Technology Review on altruism in social networks. The excerpt:
"How altruistic behaviour emerges has puzzled evolutionary biologists
for decades. From the point of view of survival of the fittest, the
unselfish concern for the welfare of others seems inexplicable. Surely
any organism should always act selfishly if it were truly intent on
saving its own bacon.
One explanation is that altruistic acts, although seemingly unselfish, actually benefit those who perform them but in indirect ways. The idea is that unselfish acts are repeated. So those who have been helped go on to help other individuals, ensuring that this behaviour spreads through a group, a phenomenon known as upstream reciprocity.
Eventually, the individual that triggered the altruistic behaviour will be on the receiving end of least one unselfish act, ensuring that, at the very least, he or she doesn't lose out. In this way, unselfish individuals actually benefit from their altruism."
One explanation is that altruistic acts, although seemingly unselfish, actually benefit those who perform them but in indirect ways. The idea is that unselfish acts are repeated. So those who have been helped go on to help other individuals, ensuring that this behaviour spreads through a group, a phenomenon known as upstream reciprocity.
Eventually, the individual that triggered the altruistic behaviour will be on the receiving end of least one unselfish act, ensuring that, at the very least, he or she doesn't lose out. In this way, unselfish individuals actually benefit from their altruism."
Read the Technology Review summary here.
Here's the full paper (26pp.).
Neato.
