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Synthesis and Microdiffraction at Extreme Pressures and Temperatures
Published on: October 7, 2013
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Altruism, collective rationality, and extreme self-sacrifice
Andrew M Colman1, Briony D Pulford1
1School of Psychology,University of Leicester,Leicester LE1 7RH,United Kingdom.amc@le.ac.ukbdp5@le.ac.ukhttps://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/npb/people/amchttps://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/npb/people/bdp5.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|May 9, 2019
Summary
Extreme self-sacrifice is explained by social motives like altruism and collective rationality, not just self-interest. When these motives are strong, sacrificing for others or groups becomes understandable without needing external threats.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Social Sciences
Background:
- The puzzle of extreme self-sacrifice is often framed by the assumption of psychological egoism.
- Psychological egoism posits that individuals invariably act in their own self-interest.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the explanatory gap between psychological egoism and observed extreme self-sacrifice.
- To explore the role of social motives in understanding altruistic and collective behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing psychological and behavioral economic literature.
- Analysis of experimental findings on altruism and collective rationality.
- Theoretical examination of the conditions under which self-sacrifice is explained.
Main Results:
- Altruism and collective rationality are experimentally validated phenomena.
- Individuals do act to benefit others or their groups.
- Strong social motives can sufficiently explain extreme self-sacrifice.
Conclusions:
- Extreme self-sacrifice does not inherently contradict observed human behavior.
- The assumption of psychological egoism is insufficient to explain all human actions.
- Social motives provide a robust framework for understanding extreme self-sacrifice, independent of out-group threats.
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