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An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
Published on: May 3, 2016
The nature of crime : Is cheating necessary for cooperation?
1Department of Sociology, University of Wyoming, P.O. Box 3293, 82071-3293, Laramie, WY.
Abstract:
The classical social theorist Emile Durkheim proposed the counterintuitive thesis that crime is beneficial for society because it provokes punishment, which enhances social solidarity. His logic, however, is blemished by a reified view of society that leads to group-selectionist thinking and a teleological account of the causes of crime. Reconceptualization of the relationship between crime and punishment in terms of evolutionary game theory, however, suggests that crime (cheating) may confer benefits on cooperating individuals by promoting stability in their patterns of cooperation.
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