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Strong Reciprocity and the Comparative Method

Strong Reciprocity and the Comparative Method Abstract Ernst Fehr and his collaborators have argued that traditional explanations of human cooperation cannot account for strong reciprocity. They provide substantial empirical evidence that strong reciprocity is an important phenomenon that cannot be explained by the traditional models of kin selection or reciprocal altruism. In this note, however, I argue that it will be difficult to test specific adaptive explanations of strong reciprocity because it is apparently unique to humans. Consequently, it is difficult to employ the comparative method, which is one of biology’s best tools for testing adaptationist claims. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Analyse & Kritik de Gruyter

Strong Reciprocity and the Comparative Method

Analyse & Kritik , Volume 27 (1) – May 1, 2005

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Publisher
de Gruyter
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 by the
ISSN
0171-5860
eISSN
2365-9858
DOI
10.1515/auk-2005-0105
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Abstract Ernst Fehr and his collaborators have argued that traditional explanations of human cooperation cannot account for strong reciprocity. They provide substantial empirical evidence that strong reciprocity is an important phenomenon that cannot be explained by the traditional models of kin selection or reciprocal altruism. In this note, however, I argue that it will be difficult to test specific adaptive explanations of strong reciprocity because it is apparently unique to humans. Consequently, it is difficult to employ the comparative method, which is one of biology’s best tools for testing adaptationist claims.

Journal

Analyse & Kritikde Gruyter

Published: May 1, 2005

References