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Flub Jub's avatar

1) we all benefit when we share our wealth

This is patently false - x/y is always less than x unless y <= x

2) multiplier effect

Hahaahaahahaahaahaha *gasp* bwahaahaha

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Overcoming Bias Commenter's avatar

Anthropologist here,

The technical term for the institution Robin inaccurately describes as "begging" is "reciprocal altruism" (RA), which indeed is common in forager societies and among other primates, but more generally is observed throughout kingdom animalia and beyond. I think "inaccurate" because the receiver doesn't have to do anything (do you really go from relative to relative with your hand out, asking for something on Christmas?), but also because stingy humans often draw resentment by third parties who could not possibly be receivers.

In fact, reciprocal altruism (RA) is one of the better studied ways to stabilize cooperative behaviors in evolutionary biology and anthropology. They work well in high-payoff, high-variance systems like hunting because individuals who bring home the meat can call in their favors when they bring home nothing. There's also a mechanism for punishment of Scrooges - you don't give them things when they are in need. I think Bowles' Microeconomics goes over the evidence that RA evolves spontaneously in environments where contracts can not be enforced.

I have great respect for economists, but I don't understand the need for Robin's turn from talking about RA to a morality play, where we psychoanalyze supplicants to discover secret hypocrisy; they claim to value selflessness but are in their heart of hearts secretly motivated by selfishness [citation needed].

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