When Does Optional Participation Allow The Evolution Of Cooperation?

Humans, unlike most other mammals, cooperate in large groups of unrelated individuals. Such cooperation can be evolutionarily stable if free-riders are punished. But it is harder to explain the origins of punishment, because punishing free riders is costly when most individuals are defectors. Allowing individuals to opt out of the cooperative venture is one proposed solution to this problem.

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Filed under: Biology on January 4th, 2009