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- Title
Hadza Cooperation.
- Authors
Marlowe, Frank
- Abstract
Strong reciprocity is an effective way to promote cooperation. This is especially true when one not only cooperates with cooperators and defects on defectors (second-party punishment) but even punishes those who defect on others (third-party, “altruistic” punishment). Some suggest we humans have a taste for such altruistic punishment and that this was important in the evolution of human cooperation. To assess this we need to look across a wide range of cultures. As part of a cross-cultural project, I played three experimental economics games with the Hadza, who are hunter-gatherers in Tanzania. The Hadza frequently engaged in second-party punishment but they rarely engaged in third-party punishment. Other small-scale societies engaged in less third-party punishment as well. I suggest third-party punishment only became more important in large, complex societies to solve more pressing collective-action problems.
- Subjects
TANZANIA; COOPERATION; RECIPROCITY (Psychology); PUNISHMENT -- Social aspects; CULTURE; HUNTER-gatherer societies; COLLECTIVE action; COMPLEX societies; AFRICANS
- Publication
Human Nature, 2009, Vol 20, Issue 4, p417
- ISSN
1045-6767
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s12110-009-9072-6