Why Humans Cooperate: A Cultural and Evolutionary Explanation by Natalie Henrich & Joseph Patrick Henrich

Author:Natalie Henrich & Joseph Patrick Henrich
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Catholic, Life Sciences, Social Science, Chaldean Catholics - Michigan - Detroit Region, Science, Michigan, Detroit Region, Christianity, Anthropology, Religion, Interpersonal Relations, Case Studies, Evolution, Biology, Cultural, Chaldean Catholics, Family & Relationships, Botany
ISBN: 9780195300680
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2007-06-26T23:00:00+00:00

they wanted to do it on their own. To him, it was clear that the other

organization preferred to work independently because they wanted to be able

to claim full credit for the project. Even within the Chaldean churches there

is competition for control and recognition, with groups within a church

competing, as well as competition between churches.

We see the competition between the organizations as a consequence of people

competing to get the most gains to their reputation. The more people or groups

that work on a project, the more people there are to share the credit and,

perhaps, the more diluted the recognition to any one person or organization

becomes. It may be that this competition for reputational beneWts leads to more

being done for the community than if people didn't care about recognition

through an arms race of volunteer work. However, this seems to be an ineYcient

way to achieve cooperation because even more could be accomplished if there

was cooperation between groups rather than only within groups.

A desire to be recognized as pro-Chaldean clearly motivates some Chaldeans

to help their community through charity or participation in volunteer organiza-

tions. Getting this recognition has real beneWts to individuals because it con-

tributes to bolstering their reputations, which as noted leads to social and

economic rewards. More cooperation takes place in the community than if

this vehicle for reputation enhancement was absent. However, despite the

boost to community involvement, the desire to improve one's reputation creates

ineYcient cooperation. Some members of volunteer organizations do as little

work as is needed to get recognized as a group member and enjoy the beneWts to

their reputation from this aYliation. Because of the nature of the work, free-

riders are diYcult to detect by outsiders who only see the Wnal product of good

work being done in the community without knowing which members made it

happen. Furthermore, groups compete for recognition that leads to rivalries

between organizations, which may improve cooperation within a group but

creates less overall success than if the groups worked together. As well, people

who are primarily concerned with being recognized for their cooperation are

more likely to limit their eVorts to highly visible projects, leaving many impor-

tant, but less public, causes unaided. Overall, cooperation in the Chaldean

community is higher as a result of people getting involved for the recognition

than if this motivator was absent, but this impetus also fosters free-riding and

competition that hinders cooperation.

It is important to note that not all Chaldeans who engage in community-

oriented work do so only for the acknowledgement and there are people who

care both about their reputation and helping the community. These people are

dedicated, eVective and committed to their causes, and they make a signiWcant

diVerence to their ethnic group, and beyond. Nonetheless, a concern with

reputation may increase the level of cooperation in the community by drawing

in people who otherwise would not have become involved. Cooperating because

of personal beneWts does not make a person's contributions any less valuable.

Finally, linking back to our theory in Chapter 3 where we discussed theoreti-

cal work showing that individuals should be interested in the status of their own

reputation or the reputation of the person they are

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