>> Jay Hanson wrote: >> Most of you probably know this, but modern biology doesn't agree with the >> economist's rational man model(s). If anyone is interested I can explain >> further...
>Jim Devine >please do! BTW, it seems like Dawkins stuff about "selfish genes" fits >with economics. PART 1 RATIONAL MAN: With respect to the economic homo economicus model, biologists call this a "domain general" model. The jargon is confusing. "Domain" means "problem" in evolutionary psychology, so economists are using a "problem general" model of human behavior. In other words, economists assume that all behavior is a product of a universal problem-solving, MATHEMATICAL computer. Rational man is said to look at the choices and COMPUTE (solve Bayes equations) the optimum (or nearly optimum) behavior. Although economists do not explicitly specify economicus that way, nothing else could optimize like that. This model is also called a "pursuer" because economicus actively "pursues" a certain outcome. Biologists say that's not the way that animals make decisions. Moreover, a general-purpose computing device like that couldn't have evolved. Animals are adaption "executers," not "pursuers." In other words, animals use "logic" instead of "math" to make decisions. Humans evolved behavioral "algorithms" (rules of behavior in the form "IF this THEN that") to solve specific reproductive problems in the EEA <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_psychology#Human_EEA> We also grow and modify behavioral algorithms throughout our lives. So, to make a long story short, advertisers appeal to behavioral algorithms to sell their products. Typical behavior might be initiated when someone sees an advertisement that produces "feel good" neurotransmitters in the brain (e.g., dopamine) which then causes the consumer to buy the product. The logical behavior is rationalized after the decision is made subconsciously. Neither "utils," nor anything else, is optimized. It's almost like a reflex. The doctor whacks someone on the knee and the innate reflex makes the leg pop up. Advertisers whack people with an image that causes them to invent reasons to buy their products. It's more complicated than that, but you should get the general idea... PART 2 SELFISH GENES: Richard Dawkins' "selfish genes" metaphor has been almost universally misunderstood. "Selfish genes" does not mean a selfish person. It's simply a way of looking at evolution as though animals act on behalf of their genes: "It rapidly became clear to me that the most imaginative way of looking at evolution, and the most inspiring way of teaching it, was to say that it’s all about the genes. It’s the genes that, for their own good, are manipulating the bodies they ride about in. The individual organism is a survival machine for its genes." – Richard Dawkins So-called "selfish genes" create people who both cooperate and compete at the same time (e.g., the best team player). With respect to "selfishness," it's actually our innate drive for "status" that has been transmogrified into a drive for money (political power). The drive for "status" is one of our most-powerful innate drives. Jay _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
