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In chapter 14 of The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger the authors imagine a society that moves beyond any dysfunction set in motion by inequality. They imagine a more equal society that seems possible because of discoveries in the areas of interpersonal human relationships, bonobos and chimps as well as brain research. A summary of those discoveries is provided here:
1. The Ultimatum Game
“The ultimatum game is an economic experiment in which volunteers are randomly paired and remain anonymous to one another. A known sum of money is given to the ‘proposer’ who then divides it as he or she pleases with the ‘responder’. All the responders do is merely accept or reject the offer. If rejected, neighter partner gets anything, but if it is accepted, they each keep the shares of money offered. They play the game only once, so there i sno point in rejecting a small offer to try to force the proposer to be more generous next time – they know there isn’t going to be a next time. in this situation, self-interested responders should accept any offer, however derisory, and self-interested proposers should offer the smallest positive amount, just enought to ensure that a responder accepts it.
Although experiments show that this is exactly how chimpanzees behave, it is not what happens among human beings. In practice the average offer made by people in developed societies is usually between 43 and 48 per cent, with 50 per cent as the most common offer. At direct cost to ourselves, we come close to sharing equally even when people we never meet and will never interact with again.
Responders tend to reject offers below about 20 per cent. Rejected offers are money which the responder chooses to lose in order to punish the proposer and prevent them from benefiting from making a mean offer. The human desire to punish even at some personal cost has been called ‘altruistic punishment’, and it plays an important role in reinforcing co-operative behavior and preventing people from freeloading . … The egalitarian preferences people reveal in the ultimatum game seem to fly in the face of the actual inequalities in our societies.” (199-200)
2. Bonobos and Chimpanzees
“Around six or seven million years ago the branch of evolutionary tree from which we have emerged split from that which led to two different species of ape: chimpanzees and bonobos. Genetically we are equally closely related to both of them, yet there are striking differences in their social behavior and they illustrate sharply constrasting ways of solving the Hobbesian problem of the potential for conflict over scarce resources” (200-201). Chimpanzees are known for agression and dominance. Bonobos are known for love making and equality. The authors take special care to note that the section of DNA responsible for social, sexual and parenting behavior differs in bonobos and chimps. Human beings have that section of DNA in common with the bonobo.
3. Mirror Neurons
These are another example of the way that human beings are deeply social beings. “When we watch someone doing something, mirror neurons in our brains fire as if to produce the same actions.” (210) In other words the individual observing as brain function as if they themselves were doing the action. The brain is hardwired for empathy.
If the authors are correct and the US is struggling from dysfunctions brought on by inequality, there is a niche for the church to lead a response. Since Jesus’ life and ministry the heart of the church is a social experiment for individuals to understand their preciousness and worth in the eyes of God. Imagine the church becoming a Jesus-like investigator into the issues of equality in local communities….you couldn’t drive redevelopment away!
Related Articles
- Some males react to competition like bonobos, others like chimpanzees (eurekalert.org)
- Why Bonobos Are Interesting (nytimes.com)
- A Conversation With Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods: Why Bonobos Don’t Kill Each Other (nytimes.com)
- Some males react to competition like bonobos, others like chimpanzees (esciencenews.com)
- Mirroring Care (psychologytoday.com)
- Westerners Are Actually The Weird ones (neatorama.com)
- What’s Fair is Fair (And Why) (psychologytoday.com)
- The book bonobos deserve (newscientist.com)
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