Speaker:Dr. Sarah F. Brosnan
Lecture Topic: The Evolution of (un)Fairness
Date and Time: 10/18 (Tuesday), 2-4pm (Reception to follow)
Location: National Yang Ming University, Activity Center, conference room 1 (陽明大學活動中心第一會議室)

Lecture Abstract:
The human sense of fairness is an evolutionary puzzle; why do we put so much value on what we receive relative to others? One answer to this question emerges from studying other species. Although fairness itself is empirically intractable, it can be translated empirically into responses to reward distribution, and studying other species’ reactions can tell us something about the evolution of our own behavior. Indeed, humans are not alone in disliking inequity in reward distributions; many species protest receiving less than a partner for the same task, and this tendency occurs primarily in species that cooperate outside kinship and mating bonds, indicating a link between the two behaviors. However, a full sense of fairness requires not only this, but also that individuals notice and seek to equalize outcomes to their own detriment. There is less evidence of this latter reaction nonhuman species, although it has been documented in our closest relatives, the apes. This reaction probably reflects an attempt to forestall partner dissatisfaction with obtained outcomes and its negative impact on future cooperation. Therefore, it is likely that the evolution of this response, combined with advanced abilities at inhibition and planning, allowed the development of a complete sense of fairness in humans, which functions not to provide equality for its own sake, but for the sake of continued success in cooperation.