Notes On Evolution and Group Dynamics

Abstract Understanding the group dynamics that affect our economic behaviors, in a scientific manner, requires understanding not only our behavioral predispositions, but also the environment that they are expressed in. The central dogma of evolutionary theory revolves around the effectiveness of the spreading of genes; and is quite good at explaining our predispositions. The environmental influences are just as good at explaining how they are expressed toward that end. The spreading of genes is of course an iterative process; that propagates through generations, thus optimizing for it requires accounting for it. Docile behaviors tend to have favorable effects on health and well being; and aggressive behaviors tend to mitigate the unfavorable effects of predation. This appears to have resulted in strategies that promote nurturing responses for reproduction; and defensive responses for securing the genes that have been passed on.

Predation:

Understanding predation, in a scientific manner, requires explaining how it came about; and the evolutionary value of it. Mortality appears to be a manner of production of species that iteratively become more adept at spreading genes. Variation through the generations allows the optimizations that promote that end. Large numbers of variations statistically accommodate the stochastic processes that produce variation. Mortality however could produce a waste product; in the lifeless bodies of previous generations. Natural systems tend to take advantage of environmental conditions; and corpses do not appear to be an exception. Scavengers and decomposers take advantage of that source of amino acids; for the production of their own genetic makeup. Carnivores, on the other hand, do not wait until the animal is deceased. This is an aggressive behavior that is observed in all ecologies; including microbial cultures. It's also observed in the behaviors of herbivores; as they tend to eat plants that are still alive. Plants of course, have developed strategies that use this behavior toward the spreading of their genes. The production of seed bearing fruits and vegetables entices animals to spread their seeds; through consumption and defecation.

This is the environment that we humans have evolved within and still live in. Our predispositions are a product of evolutionary processes; and our behaviors are the expression of them in the environment. This is consistent with genes being a product and epigenetics being the expression of them in the environment. This is a thematic or contextual consistency in the natural order.

Reproduction and Rearing:

In reproduction, reduction of stressors on parents promotes more success in copulation and rearing. Evolutionary defense mechanisms against predation aid in the rearing process; in seeing that the offspring reach maturity, and can reproduce themselves. Behaviors that nurture and protect the generations are observed as consistently as can be expected in stochastic processes. Pathological behaviors appear to be due to the incoherent application of defensive drivers.

Aggressive parents can not only be competent in protecting the generations, they can also be destructive to their own ability to pass on genes. Both impulsive and cognitive dissonance can stress the generations; and aggressive parents are endowed with the predispositions that can bring that about. Disorder in individual parents is observed to have unfavorable effects on the spreading of genes; not only with reproduction but also with rearing sustainable generations. In human societies, and the global compliment of humanity; we are observed to be being destructive to our ability to sustain generations; by creating extinction risk, in our social systems. The factors are numerous; and entail much more than reproduction and rearing, however rearing appears to be extremely important in addressing those factors. Preparing offspring with understandings and behaviors that can mitigate our self-destructive impulses can have favorable effects. We already have the predispositions; that are likely to express themselves when risks become generally apparent, but rearing offspring that are less likely to ignore the risks would have obvious advantage. This would directly effect our ability to pass on genes; though it's a long term strategy, that is probably unique to humans.

Economies That Effectively Pass On Genes:

Effectively passing on genes in an environment appears to be the basis of biological behaviors. It promotes the nurturing and defense of generations; and employs safety in numbers and even symbiotic strategies. It effects behaviors of individuals, families, communities, cultures, species and even ecologies. It promotes economies finding their place in the natural order as well. For any biological system to be content with their economy, it must be a relatively favorable environment for the predispositions of the biological system in question. Humans are no exception to this obvious factoid. The risks that our current, global economic system present are clear indications that it is incoherent and even insane; by the clinical definition of insanity. Our global economic behaviors are a clear and ever present danger to ourselves and every other species on the planet. Humans that have ignored this have been reared in an environment that expressed their predispositions in this manner. The lack of understanding that allowed this is directly attributable to incoherent economic 'theory'. But, how did this come about? Humans have only been existing in such large groups for thousands of years. In evolutionary time scales, that is a very short span of time. It would be expected that humans would require ample time to adjust to such large populations; with forming and testing strategies, and then adopting them as common behaviors. We are unique on this planet; and have no predispositions to account for our current conditions. Evolution is still occurring in the human condition. We are developing dispositions for this way of existence. Traditional Economics however completely discounts this. Following the birth of civilization, our immediate environment became more and more clad in our own creations and advancements. We have become disconnected with the environment that bore us; and we must find a way to re-naturalize ourselves. Lack of coherence in our understanding and behaviors is a clear extinction risk factor; and our actual behaviors have become a serious existential risk factor. This is why OpenNS applies evolutionary theory toward risk management; and others should too.

Conclusions: In accordance with Occam's Razor, descriptions and explanations of group dynamics must be both simplified and adequate. This is challenging for Socioeconomics; in that it is the epitome of a complex system. Simplification can be challenging on it's own; even without other axioms. Description with dichotomies is common; but choosing the most adequate dichotomy is difficult. For instance, the obvious dichotomy is individual vs group. This appears to be a false dichotomy; in that the advantages for both are essentially one in the same. There really is no versus. The advantages for individuals appear to be similar within groups; and considering individuals without groups, doesn't seem to have a coherent basis. Individuals form groups for advantages. It's observed throughout the entire chain. Plants use animals to spread their seeds. Herbivores are reliant on plants. Carnivores are reliant on herbivores. Decomposers clean up carrion and mitigate the spread of disease. Microbes are dependent on their cultures, systems of cultures and hosts. All life is an ordering of microbes; dependent upon the order. It may be best to accept that 'individual' interests are entangled with each other; due to the shared need to be effective in an environment. What this may say about economics is an economy is based in individuals working together in shared interest. Economies are environments themselves; and need to be understood as such. This is observed in the behavioral studies of Game Theory; though they also showed the group dynamics addressing pathological behaviors. This isn't just a description of natural group behaviors; it's also data for modeling economic strategies. Traditional Economics has overcompensated for pathology and then had to mitigate the consequences with even more regulation. This is not just incoherent, it's also not very economical.