Jarhyn
Wizard
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2010
- Messages
- 14,822
- Gender
- Androgyne; they/them
- Basic Beliefs
- Natural Philosophy, Game Theoretic Ethicist
Because you want individuals of the group to sacrifice for you.I have a question. Why should I feel morally obligated to sacrifice myself for the good of the group or others?
I'm not talking about situations where you have no power and the group forces you to do so, either by legal coercion or brute force , basically because the danger of the act of sacrifice rationally speaking has a better chance of survival than refusing the coercion into it.
When everyone in the group is willing to sacrifice in some way for the others, and forms of sacrifice are well represented across the gamut, then the group can stand up things like immune systems and such.
Coordinated response to threats involves selective labor towards sacrifice.
Want an army that protects you from the untoward advances of another culture on your means of survival?
Want folks to know that we will find those who disrupt our way of life?
Want to not get mugged in broad daylight?
Want to be able to get food while not growing it yourself?
Something must be sacrificed.
All of society is of the shape "everybody sacks little bit for 'me' directly, everyone gets a lot more than that from everyone else."
Some tend to over-value their contributions, and sacrifice little and take a lot, and to feel overly entitled, often blaming "takers" for their taking.
Some undervalue themselves and so are the opposite.
In almost all situations, economies of scale make this kind of sacrifice break zero-sum expectations, and limitations of opportunity to sacrifice even in presence of the benefit does for pretty much all the remaining zero-sum sacrifices.
The key is to contribute as much as you can after satisfying as much of your own needs as possible before taking.