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Born selfish? Rationality, altruism, and the initial state

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2005

Margery Lucas*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA02481
Laura Wagner*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH43210

Abstract

Henrich et al. propose that humans are genetically equipped with learning mechanisms that enable them to acquire the preferences and beliefs related to economic prosocial behaviors. In addition to their cross-cultural data, they cite developmental evidence in support of this theory. We challenge Henrich et al.'s interpretation of the developmental data in a discussion of recent work which suggests that preferences for altruism and fairness may have an innate basis.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

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