Search

Past research on social influence finds that, all else being equal, a group of people engaged in a particular behavior is generally more influential than a single individual in inspiring others to adopt that behavior. The current research challenges this seemingly intuitive idea by showing that its validity depends on whether the focal behavior is selfish. Seven experiments show that while multiple people are indeed more influential than a single individual in encouraging unselfish behavior, a single individual can be just as influential as multiple people in encouraging selfish behavior. We present evidence that this phenomenon occurs because people generally have a preference for the selfish option and seek justification for their actions. Selfish behavior, whether exhibited by a single individual or a group of people, provides a convenient justification consistent with their preference for selfish behavior. When it comes to unselfish behavior, however, a larger group of influencers is required to counteract their self-benefiting tendencies. Supporting this mechanism, the effect is reversed when people have a pre-existing preference for unselfishness or when selfish behavior is difficult to justify. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilising expert interviews, the article examines how different but overlapping logics of action guided the policies of the EU and its member states in the first year and a half of the Covid pandemic. We see three distinct logics – selfishness, emulation and coordination – taking shape, which together form a framework of cyclical Europeanisation. Efforts to cope with the pandemic made tensions between the Commission and its self-interested member states apparent. However, the member states were simultaneously able to learn from each other and thus emulate policy practices under conditions of uncertainty. Hence, regardless of the problems incurred, the ability to revert the tensions between the different logics of action and combine them pragmatically has reinforced some sense of Europeanisation within the European polity. External shocks intensify the cycles through which Europeanisation evolves and materialises, and bring to light the EU's ability to act and react, improvise and adapt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Spiteful behaviors are those aimed at inflicting harm on another person while also incurring a cost to the self. Although spite sometimes reflects destructive and socially undesirable behaviors including aggression, the current work sought to examine a potentially socially beneficial aspect of spite: engagement in costly punishment for selfish behavior. Method: Four studies used a costly third‐party punishment task and measured individual differences in spite, narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and motivations for engaging in punishment. Results: Trait spite was positively associated with costly punishment of selfish behavior. That association was independent of other dark personality traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) and was statistically mediated by a desire for retribution. One of the studies also provided evidence that trait spite was associated with costly punishment of even generous behavior; however, rather than a desire for retribution, that association was mediated by a desire to threaten the person being punished. Conclusion: Punishing selfishness and other forms of wrongdoing plays an essential role in cooperative group living. The current work provides new insight into the role spiteful motivations might play in this crucial social behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-apocalyptic environment has been popular in video games for many decades—from nuclear fallout to alien invasions, there is a fascination with the decline of mankind. This article looks, in light of the Covid-19 outbreak, at the depiction of failing and inhuman worlds in video games about pandemics. The environments in games such as Bioshock (2007), Left 4 Dead (2008, 2009), and The Last of Us (2013), are unflinchingly cruel, often depicting humans (and the player) as selfish entities seeking only self-survival. These environments are destructively violent, and, although the player is often surrounded by 'mutants', these worlds are also oppressively lonely. This article looks at the fears reflected in pre-Covid-19 pandemic video games and what they say about our world, offering a retrospective view now we are living through a global pandemic perhaps not so different from those found in these games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nodes in socially aware networks (SANs) may act selfishly on individual bases due to resource constraints and socially selfish behavior arising from the social preferences of nodes. In response to such selfish behaviors exhibited by nodes, this paper proposes a social trust confirmation-based selfish node detection algorithm (STCDA). This algorithm first utilizes a subjective forwarding willingness detection mechanism to discern selfishness. If a node's energy is insufficient or its message rejection rate is too high—that is, the node cannot or is unwilling to forward messages—it indicates that the node is selfish. Otherwise, it is evaluated more thoroughly through the node's social trust detection mechanisms. It calculates the social trust level of nodes based on the benefits of forwarding messages, thereby distinguishing between individually selfish nodes and socially selfish nodes in the network. If further evaluation is needed, the final judgment will be made using the message confirmation feedback detection mechanism. This checks the message information forwarded by nodes in the network. If nodes fail to forward messages after receiving them—excluding reasons such as message expiration or temporary insufficient cache space—it indicates that the nodes are selfish. Results from experimental simulations show that this algorithm performs better than traditional algorithms. Under conditions of 80% selfish nodes, a message TTL of 300 min, and 10 MB of cache space, it improves the message delivery rate by 5.87% and reduces the average delay by 6.2% compared to the existing comprehensive confirmation-based selfish node detection algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractFuture leaders will have the challenging task of transitioning current societal practices and organizations towards sustainability, but we lack in-depth characterizations of young sustainability leadership students within specialized higher education programs. Understanding their aspirations, doubts and fears may help educators to provide tailored and innovative teaching. In this study, we engage 24 students of a Finnish sustainability leadership Master’s degree program through a workshop, a survey, and interviews with the aim of understanding how they conceptualize and operationalize sustainability. A thematic analysis indicates that their understanding is contested—they feel responsibility, but they channel it primarily through individual action and often value moderation (i.e. not taking action to perceived extremes); engaging the public is seen as important, but some suspect that human selfishness cannot be changed; and post-capitalist views exist alongside advocacy for business-as-usual consumption-based happiness. Based on these insights, we outline implications for research and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies suggest that the potential conflict between health-awareness and masculinity has become less relevant due to men's adaptation to post-industrialization and labor markets affected by neoliberalism. The concept of hybrid masculinity, which refers to men's incorporation of practices associated with femininities and discursive distancing from masculinities, has been repeatedly used in this discussion. Yet, men's affective meaning-making around masculinities and femininities has been left relatively underexplored. Drawing on 18 interviews with Southern Finnish men of varying ages and socio-economic backgrounds, this article explores men's affective meaning-making around work-related health behaviors associated with masculinities and femininities. This study shows that these men demonstrate sympathy and admiration for some femininities and make frustrated remarks about masculinities involving neglect of emotional and bodily needs. However, they also construct masculinity as an illness-like mentality and men as victims of masculinity, rather than its proactive producers. Moreover, gender-flexible health behaviors are constructed as valuable insofar as they meet the needs of the organization and work process, and they are positioned in contrast to effeminacy and selfishness. This study demonstrates that men's gender flexibility in constructing a competent self in working life is compatible with affective meaning-making that maintains misogyny and symbolic boundaries between genders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ideas y Valores is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article provides a systematic overview of what Italians think of the war in Ukraine, relying on an analysis of the polls conducted over the first 17 months of the conflict. Italians are worried about the war but the issue is not a priority. Most Italians blame Russia, but they do so to a lesser extent than do other Europeans and the assigned responsibility is affected by the question wording. Only a minority favours arms shipments to Ukraine. Survey data record a higher level of support for imposing sanctions than for sending weapons, but also a slight decline in support for sanctions over the period. Since Italians do not expect either side to win the war, they foresee that it will end with sacrifices on the part of Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nietzsche employs the concept of pregnancy metaphorically at various points in his writings; discussing the pregnancy of philosophers (GM III 8, BGE 292), spiritual pregnancy (EH, Clever 3; GS 72) and being pregnant with thoughts or deeds (D 552). I explore how Nietzsche uses the notion of pregnancy in Dawn, arguing that it connects to the theme of self-cultivation. I employ the various associations that Nietzsche makes with pregnancy, including the unknown, selfishness, strangeness, and solitude, to elucidate Nietzsche's understanding of self-cultivation. I show how the metaphor of pregnancy, in which we do not control what we give birth to, both expresses and helps us explore the problem of what, if the self is made up of and directed by many competing drives, shapes and directs self-cultivation. I argue that Nietzsche's deliberate references to the context of Plato's discussion of pregnancy involve a self-conscious challenge to Plato's concept of the philosopher, and of philosophy, and a reimagining of what they will give birth to. The appropriation of Plato's famous metaphor thus underscores how Nietzsche's concept and method of self-cultivation contrasts to Plato's care for the soul and is rooted in attentiveness to the body and its drives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We study the two-player repeated game where players can choose to be spite or not. • We investigate the case where players lack knowledge of their opponent's actions. • Evolution of spite is likely to occur when players exhibit persistence. Social behavior is divided into four types: altruism, spite, mutualism, and selfishness. The former two are costly to the actor; therefore, from the perspective of natural selection, their existence can be regarded as mysterious. One potential setup which encourages the evolution of altruism and spite is repeated interaction. Players can behave conditionally based on their opponent's previous actions in the repeated interaction. On the one hand, the retaliatory strategy (who behaves altruistically when their opponent behaved altruistically and behaves non-altruistically when the opponent player behaved non-altruistically) is likely to evolve when players choose altruistic or selfish behavior in each round. On the other hand, the anti-retaliatory strategy (who is spiteful when the opponent was not spiteful and is not spiteful when the opponent player was spiteful) is likely to evolve when players opt for spiteful or mutualistic behavior in each round. These successful conditional behaviors can be favored by natural selection. Here, we notice that information on opponent players' actions is not always available. When there is no such information, players cannot determine their behavior according to their opponent's action. By investigating the case of altruism, a previous study (Kurokawa, 2017, Mathematical Biosciences, 286, 94–103) found that persistent altruistic strategies, which choose the same action as the own previous action, are favored by natural selection. How, then, should a spiteful conditional strategy behave when the player does not know what their opponent did? By studying the repeated game, we find that persistent spiteful strategies, which choose the same action as the own previous action, are favored by natural selection. Altruism and spite differ concerning whether retaliatory or anti-retaliatory strategies are favored by natural selection; however, they are identical concerning whether persistent strategies are favored by natural selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do people with different views of what is fair attribute different intentions to actions? In a novel experimental design, participants were significantly more likely to attribute a no-redistribution vote to selfishness if they considered redistribution as being fair. I define this—attributing actions that do not adhere to one's own fairness view to selfishness—as suspicious attribution. I develop a theory of intention attribution to show how suspicious attribution arises from two other findings from the experiment: the participants underestimate the number of people with fairness views differing from their own and overestimate the selfishness of participants with other fairness views. I discuss how the findings can help explain political polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has studied Thucydides ideas of power, strategy, human nature, conflict, and ethics. The association amid internal administrative changing aspects and external threats and how they affect countries, states, and businesses were examined, and the idea of 'Melian Dilemma' - the struggle to bring together power dynamics with ethical principles - was assessed. The study also looked at the scepticism toward of Thucydides theory due to belief that outcomes are divinely predetermined, as well as authority, selfishness, and possible failure to notice the significance of economic, social, and technological aspects affecting strategies in today's world. Despite these seeming flaws, the research evaluated the validity and applicability of Thucydides strategy for today's industries in relation to flexibility, power dynamics and business ethics with reference to the Indian market. Seven Indian firms were assessed for demonstrating a relevance to Thucydides' axioms. Based on the results of the analysis, the work proved that Thucydides grand strategy and how it deals with the dilemma between hard strategy and ethics is valid for the Indian market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates how people can manipulate their beliefs in order to obtain the self-image of an altruistic person. I present an online experiment in which subjects need to decide whether to behave altruistically or selfishly in an ambiguous environment. Due to the nature of ambiguity in this environment, those who are pessimistic have a legitimate reason to behave selfishly. Thus, subjects who are selfish but like to think of themselves as altruistic have an incentive to overstate their pessimism. In the experiment, I ask subjects how optimistic or pessimistic they feel about an ambiguous probability and then, through a separate task, I elicit their true beliefs about the same probability. I find that selfish subjects claim to be systematically more pessimistic than they truly are whereas altruistic subjects report their pessimism (or optimism) truthfully. Given the experiment design, the only plausible explanation for this discrepancy is that selfish subjects deliberately overstate their pessimism in order to maintain the self-image of an altruistic person. Altruistic subjects, whose behavior has already proven their altruism, have no such need for belief manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the disadvantages of redistributive taxation is that it reduces people's financial incentives to increase national wealth and benefit others by engaging in productive activities. It is natural to suppose that the severity of this disadvantage will be proportional to the socially prevailing level of human selfishness. Thus several advocates of redistribution (G.A. Cohen, Ha-Joon Chang among others) have argued that this disadvantage of redistribution need not be as severe as critics often suggest, because human beings need not be so selfish. My aim in this paper is to argue that, even in a society entirely composed of unselfish and impartially beneficent individuals, redistributive taxation would still discourage activities that contribute to national wealth, because differing individuals have different views about what counts as benefiting themselves and others. I also relate my discussion to G.A. Cohen's influential 'camping trip' argument for socialism (from Why Not Socialism?). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to determine and analyze the implementation of mediation in resolving civil cases at the West Jakarta District Court; and to determine and analyze the inhibiting factors and efforts made in the implementation of mediation at the West Jakarta District Court. The problem formulations in this research are: 1) How is the implementation of mediation in the settlement of civil cases in the West Jakarta District Court? 2) What are the obstacles and efforts made in the implementation of mediation in the West Jakarta District Court. The method used in this research is empirical juridical. The results showed that: 1) The implementation of mediation in the West Jakarta District Court has been carried out in accordance with Supreme Court Regulation Number 1 of 2016 concerning mediation. 2) The obstacles in the implementation of mediation in the West Jakarta District Court are continuous quarrels, selfishness of the parties to maintain their wishes, parties who are not in good faith, the timing f mediation, and language differences. From these obstacles, efforts are made by the mediator to reconcile the parties, namely by optimizing the application of Court Regulation Number 1 of 2016 concerning mediation, providing understanding to the parties of the benefits of mediation, and conducting caucuses, so that mediation in the West Jakarta District Court can run effectively to reconcile the litigants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study revisits Engelmann and Strobel (2004), which tests theoretical models of fairness preferences with simple distribution games in a classroom environment with German students. We attempt to generalize the findings from ES (2004) to a digital context with US subjects by executing three experimental waves on Amazon Mechanical Turk. As in the original study, we find similar results for efficiency concerns and ERC. However, we find that selfishness motives have larger power for rationalizing allocation decisions while maximin preferences do not explain choices in our context. We draw on a plethora of replication criteria that lead up to 80% replication success with a large variation across criteria. We do not find meaningful preference changes during the pandemic using panel data from the first to the second wave. By leveraging a third wave, we show that lower maximin motives may be attributable to cultural differences in fairness considerations while larger selfishness preferences may be driven by the high anonymity in an online relative to a classroom environment. • We attempt to generalize the findings from Engelmann & Strobel (2004). • We conduct three experimental waves with US participants on MTurk. • We show similar results on efficiency and ERC preferences. • Selfishness plays a larger role to explain choices in the digital anonymous context. • Maximin concerns do not explain choices in our US sample. • The pandemic did not seem to alter fairness preferences significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever since John Leslie Mackie's 'popularization' of moral error theories in meta-ethics, increasing attention has been focused on how to escape the force of nihilism. For many opponents of the moral error theory, 'moral nihilism' is used as a derogatory synonym associated with immorality and selfishness, but such a defamatory usage of the label is obviously not very helpful for a serious philosophical examination of the view. The goal of this paper is to draw on insights by David Hume and other Humean philosophers such as J.L. Mackie, Richard Joyce, and Richard Garner, in order to turn 'moral nihilism' from a term of abuse to a 'badge of honour'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To show that despite the enormous efforts of M. Heidegger, he failed to find a new way of thinking. Scientific novelty. It is shown that the meeting of two different streams of historical thinking – the destructive thinking of Heidegger, who never stood on the ground of the Pre-Socratics (although he strived for this all his life), and the Pre-Socratic, which gradually lost its vitality in subsequent European culture, never took place. The different streams of thinking – the ancient Greeks and Heidegger – never crossed. The early Greeks sought to understand the nature of essence, that is, they were looking, according to Heidegger, for the first beginning of thinking (and for this they tried to use the tools of openness of thinking, but did not understand its reasons), while Heidegger, who consistently went through a long path of liberation from all the European ones known to him methods of understanding nature, on the contrary, sought to find ways to understand the true nature of human existence, that is, he looked for the second principle of thinking (but also failed to reveal its origins). It was found that European culture throughout its history has stopped between these two extreme streams of thinking – aimed, on the one hand, at the world of things (essence) and, on the other, at the inner world of man (existence), but in both of these streams there are genuine the beginnings of thinking remained unheard. The analysis shows that throughout his life, Heidegger was looking, in fact, not even for being, but for the being of thinking; more precisely, he was looking for thinking that could exist synchronously with the thought of the ancient Greeks, which allowed him, on the one hand, – to reveal the fall of European culture, and on the other hand, to try to find the motives for future thinking. In our opinion, Heidegger heard the main problem of European culture: logos does not illuminate thinking, does not carry either natural or divine light, it is only similar to a given (often artificial) logical scheme. All ancient religions spoke about this. The ancient Greeks knew this; Plato and Aristotle replaced the true divine light with a system of ideas, concepts, categories and logic. It seems that the concealment of the true light (nature and gods) is the path of the fall of European culture, about which Nietzsche, Wagner and Heidegger wrote. Thinking exists only where consciousness disintegrates in the spatio-temporal topos of its existence. And logos, as this study shows, can only exist in a split consciousness. Based on this, it is increasingly clear that we have not learned to think like the Greeks and, moreover, in our selfishness we may finally lose this opportunity. On my own behalf, I would like to add: what Heidegger failed to achieve can be clarified along the paths of contact between Western and Eastern thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Strategic Universe Journal / Univers Strategic is the property of Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University, Institute for Security Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Perceiving that a partner is highly committed tends to benefit close relationships. However, there may be relational drawbacks to perceiving high commitment. In particular, given that high commitment may signal that a partner is unlikely to leave the relationship, perceiving that a partner is highly committed might lead people low in agreeableness to feel comfortable behaving more selfishly toward that partner. One correlational study consisting of a highly diverse sample of individuals (n = 307), one observational study of newlywed couples (n = 202), and one experiment with undergraduate couples (n = 252) examined whether the implications of perceived partner commitment for selfish behaviors depend on agreeableness. Results demonstrated that perceiving high commitment resulted in more selfish behavior among disagreeable participants (Studies 1–3), but less selfish behavior among agreeable participants (Studies 1 and 3). Together, these results suggest that signaling commitment to disagreeable partners may backfire in romantic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, due to the increasing interest in hybrid education environments and technology integration into the course, mobile devices have started to be used in face-to-face classroom lessons. In addition to the many advantages of using mobile devices in the classroom, it also leads to some undesirable situations. One is related to developing students' habits of playing digital games during the lesson. This research aimed to determine the relationship between students' digital game addiction and selfishness, one of the individual differences, on their academic motivation and classroom engagement. Participants were 860 high school students in grades 9 to 12. The research used a correlational design. The result of a path analysis revealed that selfishness was related to digital game addiction; as the level of selfishness of the students' increased, the probability of digital game addiction also increased. Also, digital game addiction was associated with academic motivation and was not related to classroom engagement, such that, as academic motivation levels of the students increased, the classroom engagement levels also increased. Recommendations for what can be done to increase the students' academic motivation and classroom engagement are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the emergence of online social capital during the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on individual coping and community resilience in rural areas. The study reveals how social capital contributes to the development of two distinct traits, including selfishness and social support, and illustrates how these variables may affect the individual's way of coping and the perceived community's resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed model was tested on a sample of 300 rural residents in Zanjan province, Iran. The required information was gathered using a questionnaire consisting of ten sections. The face, content, and construct validity of the research instrument were assessed and approved. Also, a pilot study was conducted to evaluate its reliability. Structural equation modeling was applied to examine the associations between the variables, and the results demonstrate a good fit. The findings declared a significant increase in online intimate relationships and information diversity after the outbreak of COVID-19, indicating the emergence of new social capital, which increased the tendency for social distancing. Further, the results showed that social support is strengthened during disastrous events by the strong ties of individuals within the community, leading to positive coping and community resilience. While social capital does not act so strongly in controlling the formation of negative attitudes like selfishness, which could lead people towards negative coping strategies and lower community resilience. Thus, for disaster management, policymakers must invest in social capital development and strengthening as well as dependable online networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers routinely engage in fraudulent behaviors toward companies including returning products under false pretenses, lying when making insurance claims, and committing petty theft. However, research has been relatively limited in examining the psychological mechanisms that contribute to such behavior. Based on dual-processing models of morality, differences in an individual's emotional intelligence and selfishness are predicted to impact the likelihood of committing consumer fraud. In a departure from previous research highlighting the prosocial benefits of emotional intelligence, seven studies show that consumers with higher levels of emotional intelligence and greater selfishness are more likely to commit fraud. Highly selfish and emotionally intelligent consumers possess the motivation and ability to suppress feelings of embarrassment that normally deter consumers from committing various routine, less severe forms of consumer fraud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We re-oriented the HEXACO personality dimensions to approximate the Big Five, using two measures of the Big Five as targets in a derivation sample and then in cross-validation samples. The HEXACO approximations of Big Five Agreeableness represented blends of HEXACO Agreeableness, Emotionality, and Honesty-Humility. The HEXACO approximations of Big Five Neuroticism represented blends of Emotionality with low Agreeableness and low Extraversion. The residual sixth dimension, unrelated to the Big Five, contrasted Honesty-Humility with HEXACO Agreeableness. We then examined, in additional samples, some correlates of the original and re-rotated HEXACO dimensions. In the original HEXACO factor space, Honesty-Humility was the strongest correlate of unethical behaviors (selfishness and cheating), participant age, and "assumed similarity" to a friend or partner. Upon re-rotation of the HEXACO factors, associations involving these variables were divided between Big Five Agreeableness and the residual sixth dimension. Sex differences were mainly associated with Emotionality but after re-rotation of the HEXACO factors were divided between Big Five Agreeableness and Neuroticism. We discuss the relative merits of the original and Big Five-targeted HEXACO dimensions with reference to the practical utility of Big Five Agreeableness and Neuroticism and the simplicity and theoretical interpretability of the original HEXACO factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to a growing body of scholarly discussions around the many aspects and challenges of combining parenthood with elite-level sport, with a particular focus on the experiences of male elite athletes who are fathers. We used a caring masculinities theoretical framework, community-based participatory research, and semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of 10 elite/international and world-class athletes (n = 9 fathers, n = 1 expectant father). Through reflexive thematic analysis, we identified three main themes: fatherhood can (1) improve and (2) impede elite athlete-fathers' athletic performance; and (3) athlete-fathers experience a trade-off between athletic performance and fatherhood responsibilities. Our findings underscore the ways in which male athletes' experiences with parenthood reflect the new era of involved fatherhood and are analogous to some of the identity tensions that have been reported with regard to the experiences of elite female athletes who are pregnant and/or mothers. Recognizing the impact of children on male athletes' athletic careers and the parallels between fatherhood, motherhood, and elite sport may lead to better support for athlete-fathers while also contributing to diminishing the expectation that women are primary caregivers to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Politiques Sociales is the property of Service Social dans le Monde, asbl and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Gossip, the exchange of personal information about absent third parties, is ubiquitous in human societies. However, the evolution of gossip remains a puzzle. The current article proposes an evolutionary cycle of gossip and uses an agent-based evolutionary game-theoretic model to assess it. We argue that the evolution of gossip is the joint consequence of its reputation dissemination and selfishness deterrence functions. Specifically, the dissemination of information about individuals' reputations leads more individuals to condition their behavior on others' reputations. This induces individuals to behave more cooperatively toward gossipers in order to improve their reputations. As a result, gossiping has an evolutionary advantage that leads to its proliferation. The evolution of gossip further facilitates these two functions of gossip and sustains the evolutionary cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this piece of writing, which comes from the pain of the victims of the internal war in Colombia, is to show the discernment of Francis of Fratelli Tutti who calls upon the Church to see the Kingdom of God within the movement towards the universal human community of different religions, beliefs, ethnicities, cultures and Creation. A process of fraternity and communion in dignity, justice and peace, which resists selfishness, exclusion and wars. The Church is called to be part of this new and unique community through the Gospel and in the field of the political ethics of the common good. The choice for the Church is crucial, to be or not to be in the Kingdom of God, at a time when humanity is between life and death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this article is to show that, from an analysis of Works of Love, it is clear that in this work Kierkegaard is not only aware of the moral criticism of the selfish motivations of our actions, as pointed out by La Rochefoucauld in his famous Reflections: or Sentences and Moral Maxims, but also elaborates what can be read as a response to this problem. Initially, we will address La Rochefoucauld's criticism of a certain profile of moral actions. Next, we will analyze how Kierkegaard thinks about love, not from an analysis of its essence but from its practical action, its fruits. This practice of love will be enriched with an analysis of the concepts of duty to love and the neighbor. The relationship between these concepts provides parameters for thinking about ethical action that goes beyond selfishness. Finally, in the conclusions, we will point out how Kierkegaard provides important elements for an answer to the profound questions analyzed by La Rochefoucauld. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated lying as a collective‐risk social dilemma. Misreporting resulted in increased individual earnings but when total claims reached a certain threshold, all group members were at risk of collective sanction, regardless of their individual behavior. Due to selfishness and miscoordination, most individuals earned less than the reservation payoff from honest reporting in the group. However, preferences for truth‐telling lowered the risk of collective sanction in this setting compared to a social dilemma game in which players could make direct claims without lying. The risk of sanctions decreased with risk aversion and a smaller group size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how psychotherapy, with its inherent focus on the self, may inadvertently contribute to problematic selfishness. By comparison with religious traditions which have encouraged humility and dedication to serving others, psychotherapeutic schools have historically emphasized ways to meet one's own needs. We review here the evolution of ego-centric approaches toward more relational and growth- and virtue-oriented ones, before considering four clinical contexts which risk fostering undue absorption with oneself and one's therapy. A greater awareness of these risks can help clinicians and patients appreciate the role of moral values, world views, and religious commitments in shaping the direction of their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Etnolingwistyka is the property of Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Research has demonstrated that delays in realizing pro‐social decisions significantly influence pro‐social choices. However, the impact of time delay may vary by context. A key contextual factor is decision observability (i.e., the visibility of one's decision to others). Using a dictator game task with delayed rewards, the current study examined the effects of observability on intertemporal pro‐social choices. Subjects were randomly assigned to either an Anonymous group, where payment was private, or an Observable group, involving public payment. They had to decide between the selfish option (which only benefited the subject) and the generous option (sharing money with another person in a specific delay condition). Our data revealed that subjects were less eager to forgo money when time delay increased and showed more selfishness toward specific people, independent of decision observability. This pattern was aligned with a hyperbolic discounting model. Notably, observability mitigated the impact of time delay; subjects were more inclined to donate to temporally distant individuals when their decisions were observable instead of anonymous. In addition, we discuss the practical implications of observability for designing intertemporal donation appeals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Myrtia is the property of Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In a world where resources are increasingly perceived as scarce, understanding the nature of scarcity and its profound effects on human behavior has never been more critical. This monograph delves into the multifaceted dimensions of scarcity—its antecedents, manifestations, and consequences —inviting readers to explore how scarcity shapes our decisions, relationships, and societal structures. From the psychological implications of time and money scarcity to the interpersonal dynamics that arise when individuals navigate differing levels of resource availability, this work unravels the complex ways in which scarcity can influence thinking and behavior. Scarcity can drive innovation, spur creativity, and even foster resilience; yet, it also carries the weight of negative consequences like impatience and selfishness. This monograph examines the delicate balance between abundance and scarcity, challenges conventional notions, and illuminates pathways for future research. Through illuminating the rich landscape of scarcity, the authors offer not only theoretical insights but also practical implications for marketers, policymakers, and everyday individuals seeking to thrive amidst resource constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Philosophia is the property of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The ability to engage in counterfactual thinking (reason about what else could have happened) is critical to learning, agency, and social evaluation. However, not much is known about how individual differences in counterfactual reasoning may play a role in children's social evaluations. In the current study, we investigate how prompting children to engage in counterfactual thinking about positive moral actions impacts children's social evaluations. Eighty‐seven 4‐8‐year‐olds were introduced to a character who engaged in a positive moral action (shared a sticker with a friend) and asked about what else the character could have done with the sticker (counterfactual simulation). Children were asked to generate either a high number of counterfactuals (five alternative actions) or a low number of counterfactuals (one alternative action). Children were then asked a series of social evaluation questions contrasting that character with one who did not have a choice and had no alternatives (was told to give away the sticker to his friend). Results show that children who generated selfish counterfactuals were more likely to positively evaluate the character with choice than children who did not generate selfish counterfactuals, suggesting that generating counterfactuals most distant from the chosen action (prosociality) leads children to view prosocial actions more positively. We also found age‐related changes: as children got older, regardless of the type of counterfactuals generated, they were more likely to evaluate the character with choice more positively. These results highlight the importance of counterfactual reasoning in the development of moral evaluations. Research Highlights: Older children were more likely to endorse agents who choose to share over those who do not have a choice.Children who were prompted to generate more counterfactuals were more likely to allocate resources to characters with choice.Children who generated selfish counterfactuals more positively evaluated agents with choice.Comparable to theories suggesting children punish willful transgressors more than accidental transgressors, we propose children also consider free will when making positive moral evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel position in the philosophy of logic: I argue that validity is a thick concept. Hence, I propose to consider validity in analogy to other thick concepts, such as honesty, selfishness or justice. This proposal is motivated by the debate on the normativity of logic: while logic textbooks seem simply descriptive in their presentation of logical truths, many have argued that logic has consequences for how we ought to reason, for what we ought to believe, or for what we ought to infer. How can logic be normative, if it appears to be descriptive? According to the proposal of this paper, the normativity of logic can be explained because a thick concept is in play: validity. Thus, I argue that the debate on how to best characterize validity and the debate on logic's normativity are more connected than we think, because validity is a thick concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]