Ulam Lecture Abstract

Thursday, September 18, 2008 • 7:30 PM • James A. Little Theater, New Mexico School for the Deaf

Samuel Bowles Professor, Santa Fe Institute and University of Siena

A Cooperative Species—How We Got to Be Both Nasty and Nice

Humans are remarkably cooperative animals. We frequently engage in joint projects for the common benefit on a scale extending beyond the family to include total strangers. We do this even when contributions to the project are costly and yield little private benefit. Examples are upholding social norms even when a transgression would not be noticed, warfare, and actions to preserve the natural environment.

Lecture 3. Machiavelli's Mistake: Why Policies Designed for “Wicked Men” Fail.
Taking account of our ethical dispositions and the conditions necessary to both enhance and empower cooperative motivations is essential if we are to face the challenges of environmental sustainability, control of epidemic disease, the governance of the information based economy, and political violence.