Re: virus: Altruism, Empathy, the Superorganism, and the Priso ner'sDillema

Martz (martz@martz.demon.co.uk)
Mon, 28 Apr 1997 22:08:08 +0100

On Mon, 28 Apr 1997, "Wright, James 7929" <Jwright@phelpsd.com> wrote:

>Right now, though, I trying to raise two extremely self-interested
>children, while trying to impress upon them (memetically?) the virtues of
>cooperation, consideration of others' points of view, etc. I'm not sure
>if any of it qualifies as altruistic, but maybe it'll make them more
>considerate competitors!<VBG!>

Astounding. You've hit the nail right on the head there. "More
considerate competitors". That's what I think we are - considerate
competitors. We learn early on that direct competition isn't always the
most gainful route to take. We also learn that we're often not competing
against each other but against adverse circumstance. In those situations
it is often more efficacious to cooperate with each other against a
common foe, whether it's a gazelle that just won't stand still or a car
that just won't get built.

-- 
Martz
martz@martz.demon.co.uk


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