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Articles

The Ethics of Tit-for-Tat

Massimo Pigliucci on game theory, rational egoism and the evolution of fairness.

Is it rational to be ethical? Many philosophers have wrestled with this most fundamental of questions, attempting to clarify whether humans are well served by ethical rules or whether they weigh us down. Would we really be better off if we all gave in to the desire to just watch out for our own interests and take the greatest advantage to ourselves whenever we can? The Objectivist Ayn Rand, for one, thought that the only rational behavior is egoism, and books aiming at increasing personal wealth (presumably at the expense of someone else’s wealth) regularly make the bestsellers list.

Plato, Kant, and John Stuart Mill, to mention a few, have tried to show that there is more to life than selfishness. In the Republic, Plato has Socrates defending his philosophy against the claim that justice and fairness are only whatever rich and powerful people decide they are. Despite a long and beautiful defense, the arguments of his opponents – that we can see plenty of examples of unjust people who have a great life and of just ones who suffer in equally great manner – seem more convincing than the high-mindedness of the father of philosophy.

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