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Why human societies adopt rigid moral rules: The efficiency-robustness trade-off.
Julien Lie-Panis1,2,3, Léo Fitouchi4, Nicolas Baumard5
1Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139.
Summary
Societies use rigid rules to manage uncertainty in cooperation, even if flexible judgment is possible. Rigid rules ensure cooperation when trust is low, while flexibility works best with secure trust.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Game Theory
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Humans exhibit flexible moral judgment but often rely on rigid social rules.
- The prevalence of rigid rules, despite potential inefficiencies, requires explanation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explain the evolutionary advantage of rigid social rules over flexible moral judgment.
- To model the trade-offs between rule flexibility and rigidity in social cooperation.
Main Methods:
- Developed a game-theoretic model to analyze social norms.
- Compared two cooperative equilibria: a flexible norm and a rigid norm.
- Examined the conditions under which each norm prevails.
Main Results:
- Rigid rules serve as a technology to manage ambiguity regarding noncooperation.
- A flexible norm accommodates legitimate excuses but is exploitable.
- A rigid norm mandates cooperation, preventing exploitation but potentially reducing efficiency.
Conclusions:
- Rigid rules enhance cooperation robustness in low-trust environments.
- Flexible norms maximize welfare in high-trust environments.
- The choice between rigid and flexible rules depends on the security of social trust.
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