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o-craven-canto · 3 years

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An interesting description of moral foundations as cooperation strategies:

https://osf.io/r4jhb/ (Oliver Scott Curry, Daniel Austin Mullins, & Harvey Whitehouse, “Is It Good to Cooperate?Testing the Theory of Morality-as-Cooperation in 60 Societies”, Current Anthropology, 2019)

Life begins when molecules start making copies of themselves. These “replicators” are “selfish” in the technical sense that they promote their own replication (Dawkins 2006 [1976])... But replicators can also replicate in concert with other replicators (Dawkins 1998). These cooperative interactions can have two winners... Natural selection for genes that employ such cooperative strategies has driven several “major transitions” in the evolution of life on Earth, including the formation of cells, chromosomes, and multicellular organisms... Humans descend from a long line of social primates; they have spent 50 million years living in social groups (Shultz, Opie, and Atkinson2011), and 2 million years making a living as intensely collaborative hunter-gatherers (Tooby and DeVore 1987). Evolution has equipped humans with a range of biological—including psychological—adaptations for cooperation... More recently, improvisational intelligence and cultural transmission (Boyd, Richerson, and Henrich 2011; Pinker 2010) have made it possible for humans to attempt to improve upon natural selection’s solutions by inventing evolutionarily novel solutions... for further bolstering cooperation... Below we review seven well-established types of cooperation: (1) the allocation of resources to kin; (2) coordination to mutual advantage; (3) social exchange; and conflict resolution through contests featuring (4) hawkish displays of dominance and (5) dovish displays of submission; (6) division of disputed resources; and (7) recognition of possession.

1. Allocation of Resources to Kin (Family Values) Genes that benefit replicas of themselves in other individuals—that is, genetic relatives—will be favored by natural selection if the cost of helping is outweighed by the benefit to the recipient gene(s) (Dawkins 1979; Hamilton 1964)... This theory of kin selection explains many instances of altruism, in many species (Gardner and West 2014), including humans (Kurland and Gaulin 2005; Lieberman, Tooby, and Cosmides 2007). Morality-as-cooperation leads us to expect that this type of cooperative behavior—caring for offspring, helping family members, and avoiding inbreeding—will be regarded as morally good.

2. Coordination to Mutual Advantage (Group Loyalty) Game theory models situations in which individuals are uncertain about how to behave to bring about a mutual benefit as coordination problems (Lewis 1969). Humans and other animals use a variety of strategies—such as focal points, traditions, leadership, signaling, badges of membership, and “theory of mind”—to solve these problems (Alvard 2001; Boos et al. 2011; McElreath, Boyd, and Richerson 2003) and form stable coalitions and alliances (Balliet, Wu, and De Dreu 2014; Bissonnette et al. 2015; Harcourt and de Waal 1992). Morality-as-cooperation leads us to expect that this type of cooperative behavior—forming friendships, participating in collaborative endeavors, favoring your own group, and adopting local conventions—will be regarded as morally good.

3. Social Exchange (Reciprocity) In game theory, social dilemmas—prisoners’ dilemmas, public goods games, tragedies of the commons—arise when the fruits of cooperation are vulnerable to exploitation by “free riders,” who accept the benefit of cooperation without paying the cost (Ostrom and Walker 2002). This problem can be overcome by a strategy of “conditional cooperation” or “reciprocal altruism,” such as tit-for-tat (Axelrod 1984; Trivers 1971)... Morality-as-cooperation leads us to expect that this type of cooperative behavior—trusting others, reciprocating favors, seeking revenge, expressing gratitude, and making amends—will be regarded as morally good.

4 & 5. Contests between Hawks (Bravery) and Doves (Respect) Conflict over resources—food,territory, and mates (Huntingdon and Turner 1987)—presents organisms with an opportunity to cooperate by competing in less mutually destructive ways (Maynard Smith and Price 1973). There are three ways of achieving this: contests (featuring the display of hawkish and dovish traits), division, and possession. Game theory has shown that conflicts can be settled through “contests,” in which individuals display reliable indicators of their “fighting ability,” and defer to the stronger party (Gintis, Smith, and Bowles 2001; Maynard Smith and Price 1973)... often form[ing] the basis of dominance hierarchies where resources are allocated by “rank” (Preuschoft and van Schaik 2000)... Morality-as-cooperation leads us to expect that these types of cooperative behavior—hawkish displays of dominance (the “heroic virtues” of bravery, fortitude, skill, and wit) and dovish displays of submission (the “monkish virtues” of humility, deference, obedience, and respect)—will be regarded as morally good (Curry 2007).

6. Division (Fairness) When the contested resource is divisible, game theory models the situation as a “bargaining problem” (Nash 1950). Here, one solution is to divide the resource in proportion to the relative (bargaining) power of the protagonists (Skyrms 1996). In the case of equally powerful individuals, this results in equal shares (Maynard Smith 1982). Evidence for a “sense of fairness” comes from nonhuman primates’ adverse reactions to unequal treatment in economic games (Brosnan 2013). With regard to humans, rules such as “I cut, you choose,” “meet in the middle,” “split the difference,” and “take turns” are ancient and widespread means of resolving disputes (Brams and Taylor 1996). And “equal shares” is a spontaneous and cross-culturally prevalent decision rule in economic games (Henrich et al. 2005) and similar situations (Messick 1993). Morality-as-cooperation leads us to expect that this type of cooperative behavior—dividing disputed resources, reaching a compromise, being fair—will be regarded as morally good.

7. Possession (Property Rights) Finally, game theory shows that conflicts over resources can be resolved by recognition of prior possession (Gintis 2007; Hare, Reeve, and Blossey 2016; Maynard Smith 1982). The recognition of prior possession is widespread in nature (Strassmann and Queller 2014). Humans also defer to prior possession in vignette studies (DeScioli and Karpoff 2015; Friedman and Neary 2008), experimental games (the “endowment effect”; Kahneman and Tversky 1979), the law (Rose 1985), and international relations (Johnson and Toft 2014). Private property, in some form or other, appears to be a cross-cultural universal (Herskovits 1952). Morality-as-cooperation leads us to expect that this type of cooperative behavior—deferring to prior possession—will be regarded as morally good.

In 961 out of 962 observations (99.9%), cooperative behavior [of the seven types listed above] had a positive moral valence... The one exception to the rule—among the Chuuk [in Micronesia], “to steal openly from others is admirable in that it shows a person’s dominance and demonstrates that he is not intimidated by the aggressive powers of others” (Caughey 1977)—appears to be a case in which one form of cooperation (respect for property) has been trumped by another (respect for a hawkish trait, although not explicitly bravery).

A survey of 60 diverse societies found that the moral valence of seven cooperative behaviors was uniformly positive. In every society for which there were data, these seven cooperative behaviors were considered morally good. There were no counterexamples, that is, societies in which these behaviors were considered morally bad. The survey also found that these cooperative morals were widespread—with most appearing in most societies—and that they were observed with equal frequency across all cultural regions. ... it remains to be seen whether the theory can be extended to provide cooperative explanations of other moral phenomena, including those encountered in this ethnographic review—industry and laziness, truth-telling and honesty, chastity and fidelity, hospitality and gossip, the virtues expected of a leader, some forms of purity, and the behavior expected by gods, spirits, and ancestors.

#ethics

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jackmoskowitz · 3 years

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We will be looking at a few works of art presented by the Alice Austin House. All of the images from this gallery are taken from an online gallery. The title of this exhibition is The Photographer in the Garden. As you can tell from the title, a majority of the photos taken will have to do with nature. The artists that are presented in this gallery are Sam Abell, Alice Austin, Mack Cohen, Stephen Gill, Lonnie Graham, Justine Kurland, Lori Nix, Bill Owens, Sheron Rupp, Collier Schorr and Mike Slack. In total, there are sic photos presented in the exhibition, we will be focusing on two. For a brief introduction, we will discuss the photos I have selected and a few details about them. The first photo I selected is an image taken by Stephen Gill. The image at hand has a dimension 2’0”x2’6”. The next image at hand is by Lonnie Graham which has a dimension of 2’10”x2’3”, slightly larger than the first image.

Now to dive into the photos at hand. To start we will look at the image by Stephen Gill. At first glance it appears to be a dump truck which is dropping flowers out of the back. As you start to look deeper and pick the image apart, you begin to realize that the canvas is a dump truck and bits and pieces of flowers/ greenery were sprinkled on to the photo to give it the effect that the dump truck is dropping the flowers. In the given image all of the colors are rather dull and matte. The flowers make the image pop. To add onto the popping aspect the flowers being dropped onto the photo almost give it a 3d effect. In the image everything seems so chaotic. When you think of a dump truck dropping items, typically you might think of rocks, gravel or dirt being dropped however in this image it's quite the opposite its delicate flower pieces. Now moving on from this photo, we have the image by Lonnie Graham. In this photo we have a man who appears to be in a garden/ farm setting and is looking back at all of the plants. This image tells a few stories. The first thing that had come to mind is that this man is looking back at all of the work that he has completed and is reflecting on his hard work that he has completed. The other way I look at it is the kind of the opposite. Maybe this man is just looking out to see the work that he has yet to complete, and what the day has in store for him.

In the exhibit presented to us we were able to see various different displays of nature. In the photos presented we were able to take a few things away. Sometimes aspects of nature can tell their own story or assist in telling a story. The next aspect is that nature can make certain images pop and add beauty to them.

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funnythingshere0-blog · 6 years

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Mega Millions mania: Players console themselves with hilarious memes as jackpot soars to an enormous $1.6BILLION ...

New Post has been published on https://funnythingshere.xyz/mega-millions-mania-players-console-themselves-with-hilarious-memes-as-jackpot-soars-to-an-enormous-1-6billion/

Mega Millions mania: Players console themselves with hilarious memes as jackpot soars to an enormous $1.6BILLION ...

The United States is caught up in meme mania after the Mega Millions jackpot reached a world record-breaking $1.6billion Friday.

Images across the Internet poked fun at the new amount after nobody won the estimated $1billion prize that had ballooned from $868million Wednesday morning.

Many social media users linked the new amount to the memorable scene from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, where one of Mike Myers’s characters Dr. Evil, demands $1million ransom money before changing it to $100billion.

Tuesday’s jackpot is now a world record $1.6billion. The previous record was held by January 2016’s $1.586billion Powerball game

People are rushing out to buy new tickets after the prize money rolled over when nobody won

As others rushed out to purchase tickets for the next game on Tuesday, those who didn’t land a windfall overnight found humor in the situation by making fun of their financial situation.

‘Can’t buy my island with the measley $2 I won #MegaMillons,’ one user wrote.

One sentiment expressed in several memes that many could relate to was having to return to work despite hoping they’d become a billionaire overnight when they entered the lottery draw.

‘Well I didn’t win the #MegaMillions…. lemme go to sleep, since I WILL be WORKING tomorrow morning,’ another tweeter posted.

No tickets issued matched all six of Friday night’s winning numbers, which were 15, 23, 53, 65, 70 and Mega Ball 7.

The next Mega Millions drawing, taking place October 23, will tie for the largest lottery jackpot in US history. The cash option is $904million.

Many social media users acknowledged that they couldn’t quit their jobs after a lottery win

The most recently-won Mega Millions jackpot was in July, when 11 California co-workers shared the $543million prize.

On January 13, 2016 the sister game, Powerball, reached $1.586billion. The sum was split by winners in three states, including Tennessee, Florida, and California, according to lottery officials.

Winners John and Lisa Robinson from Tennessee said they would continue working during an appearance on the Today show. But many of the people posting memes about the Mega Millions showed they had no such intention.

‘Mega Millions has already entered historic territory, but it’s truly astounding to think that now the jackpot has reached an all-time world record,’ said Gordon Medenica, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Group and Director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming, said in a press statement Saturday.

‘It’s hard to overstate how exciting this is – but now it’s really getting fun.’

Friday night’s Mega drawing has managed to turn some people into millionaires, though.

Players buying Mega Millions tickets since Wednesday inflated the jackpot to $1billion Friday

Video courtesy of Pix11

Fifteen second-tier winning tickets netting at least $1million were sold in California, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Virginia. The tickets were said to have matched the five white balls, but not the Mega Ball.

Tipsters claim that the odds of winning both jackpots is one in 88 quadrillion, which is 88 followed by 15 zeros for the mathematically-challenged amongst us.

Lottery players will have slightly better odds of winning just one of the jackpots.

According to Lottery USA, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are one in 302.6million, and the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2million.

If a player is lucky enough to win, Uniondale lawyer Jason Kurland, who has worked with 30 lottery winners, has some advice for would-be lotto winners.

He tells winners to wipe clean their social media so that salesmen, scammers and long-lost friends and relatives have a harder time finding them.

‘They’re a target for everything,’ he told the New York Daily News.

According to Kurland, a $970million winner would take home about $570million in a lump sum before taxes.

The prize is so big that Kurland said he will probably buy a ticket himself.

The former record holder for Mega Millions was a $656million prize in 2012. The prize was split three ways in both of these drawings, with each winner receiving at least $200million before taxes.

If nobody claims the Mega Millions jackpot in the required time limit – which varies state by state – each state will get the money it contributed to the jackpot back.

Lottery officials caution against spending large amounts of money per person in the hopes of striking it rich.

‘We certainly know we get more pool play, people coming in making very large purchases for a group,’ said Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Urbandale, Iowa-based Multi-State Lottery Association that oversees the Mega Millions, Powerball and other lotteries.

He added: ‘When people ask me, I just tell them that the odds of a lottery game make it a game of fate.

‘Just buy a ticket, sit back and see if fate points a finger at you for that day’.

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6298725/Mega-Millions-players-console-funny-memes-jackpot-soars-RECORD-1-6BILLION.html

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recentnews18-blog · 6 years

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New Post has been published on https://shovelnews.com/mega-millions-mania-players-console-themselves-with-hilarious-memes-as-jackpot-soars-to-an-enormous-1-6billion/

Mega Millions mania: Players console themselves with hilarious memes as jackpot soars to an enormous $1.6BILLION ...

Mega Millions mania: Players console themselves with hilarious memes as jackpot soars to an enormous $1.6BILLION after no one took home Friday’s prize

Meme mania has swept the United States after nobody won the Mega Millions jackpot Friday

People commiserated about having to return to work Monday and made fun of the rush to buy tickets for the draw

Tuesday’s jackpot is now a world record $1.6billion. The previous record was held by January 2016’s $1.586billion Powerball game

People are 50 times more likely to get struck by lightning and 8,000 more likelihood to be murdered than win the lottery, tipsters claim

By Leah Simpson For Dailymail.com and Leah Mcdonald For Dailymail.com and Maxine Shen For Dailymail.com

Published: 18:23 EDT, 20 October 2018 | Updated: 20:23 EDT, 20 October 2018