Re: Incentives LO1338

Dickover - Melvin E. (dickover@umd5.umd.edu)
Sun, 21 May 1995 21:20:27 -0400 (EDT)

Replying to LO1334 --

Commenting on L01334

> What is operating in nature - competition or cooperation? Both is
> not a bad answer. Cooperation first and competition "after" might be
> closer to what it takes for continued survival and certainly for the
> increasing complexity that we see so far. But the best answer might
> be "neither". That is, the idea of competition (and cooperation) are
> supplied by an observer. They are not actually _happening_. What is
> happening is just the playing out of many factors which we label as
> one or the other. (There was a wonderful book I read many years ago
> called "Finite and Infinite Games" which provides an excellent
> perspective on this.)

I think there is good reason to believe that nature evolved cooperation
to facilitate competition. Groups that cooperate compete more
effectively. Contrasting cooperation and competition is
perhaps a false dichotomy caused by an unconscious level shift.

--
Mel Dickover <dickover@umd5.umd.edu>