Tag Archives: economics and evolutionary theory

Evolutionary theory meets artificial intelligence and the management of algorithms. EvonomicsEvolving the New Economy: Tim O’Reilly and David Sloan WilsonDavid Sloan Wilson, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Biology and Anthropology at Binghamton University and Arne Næss Chair in Global Justice and the Environment at the University of Oslo, interviews Tim O'Reilly, founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media

Here, "society" is being used as a metaphor rather than a description. I would prefer to use "system" rather than "society," and to compare biological systems with social systems, since this is more descriptive and less evocative. At the same time, I agree that the use of "society" is legitimate and useful in biology and evolutionary theory.   There are three major types of systems, corresponding to the three major branches of science — physical, biological, and social. There are...

As an evolutionist critiquing the field of economics, I felt like a disciplinary outsider until I encountered the work of Friedrich Hayek. The Austrian economist was himself critical of Walrasian general equilibrium theory and proposed a radical alternative: Economic systems are a form of distributed intelligence that evolved by cultural group selection. They work without having been designed by anyone. That was my area of expertise. I had to admire Hayek as a pioneer, especially since...

Daily life requires us to cooperate with a large number of – potentially unrelated – people. This column argues that cultural variation in the ways people cooperate with each other are empirically associated with fundamentally different religious beliefs, moral values, emotions of shame and guilt, social norms, and institutions. This suggests that various psychological, biological, and institutional mechanisms co-evolved to support specific social cooperation systems. Harmonizing personal...

A surprisingly simple solution to the conflict between self-interest and mutual benefits at all hierarchical levels.… The conflict between lower-level selfishness and higher-level welfare pervades the biological world.… But goodness has its own advantages, especially when those who behave for the good of their groups are able to band together and avoid the depredations of the selfish. Punishment is also a powerful weapon against selfishness, although it is often costly to wield. Every...