Darwinists create clever model to account for bad survival traits
Evolution has a problem with fairness and spite. At least at face value, there’s little gained by sharing your food in a world of survival of the fittest. At the other extreme, humans will sometimes expend energy to harm another person, even though the antagonist stands to gain nothing (except sour satisfaction). You’d think natural selection would have killed off creatures that waste resources in this fashion.
Lay aside doubts about evolution and play along for a minute. In a recent study, two philosophers from Massachusetts, Patrick Forber and Rory Smead, think they’ve found a common origin for fairness and spite. Their experiment involves a computer simulation of a common lab game researchers use to study human behavior, called the “ultimatum game.”
The game goes like this: Player A gets a chance to share a resource (an apple pie, let’s say) with player B. He can offer any amount—half the pie...
Dr. Jason Lisle | 6/1/2005
