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    If altruists only ever interact with altruists under perf... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Altruism evolves under perfect correlation between partners.

    If altruists only ever interact with altruists under perfect correlation, the fitness gain accrues to a closed group, making 'altruism' indistinguishable from sophisticated within-group self-interest.

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    1 reason for
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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.Perfect correlation means altruists cannot distinguish their sacrifices from investments in kin/coalition, so motivation becomes empirically indistinguishable.
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    • 2.If fitness benefits return entirely to the altruist's group, the behavior satisfies definitions of nepotism or reciprocal altruism, not universal altruism.
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    • 3.Labeling in-group preference 'altruism' obscures its actual function: perpetuating group advantage, which is strategic self-interest scaled upward.
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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against
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    • 1.Motivation and consequence differ: an altruist's intent to benefit others remains genuine even if only in-group members benefit through circumstance, not design.
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    • 2.Perfect correlation is empirically impossible; altruists periodically encounter non-altruists, creating genuine cost uncompensated by reciprocal benefit.
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    • 3.Calling within-group altruism 'sophisticated self-interest' conflates mechanism with intention, eliminating the meaningful distinction philosophy needs.
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    Key Terms

    Fitness (in evolutionary biology)(as used in evolutionary theory)
    How successful an organism is at surviving and reproducing—basically, how many offspring it passes its genes to.
    Indistinguishable from(as used in logic and comparison)
    So similar or identical to something else that you can't tell the difference between them.
    Perfect correlation(as used in statistics and logic)
    A situation where two things always happen together in exactly the same way—if one changes, the other changes in a predictable pattern.
    Within-group self-interest(as used in ethics and sociology)
    Acting in ways that benefit yourself or your own group, even if it helps members of that group in the process.
    altruism(Evolutionary game theory)
    Any behaviour by an organism that decreases its own expected fitness in a single interaction but increases that of the other interactor

    Connections

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    Consequentialism1 linkedMoral Responsibility1 linked

    Related

    Altruism evolves under perfect correlation between partners.Calling within-group altruism 'sophisticated self-interest' conflates mechanism ...If fitness benefits return entirely to the altruist's group, the behavior satisf...Labeling in-group preference 'altruism' obscures its actual function: perpetuati...
    +3 moreShow less
    Motivation and consequence differ: an altruist's intent to benefit others remain...Perfect correlation is empirically impossible; altruists periodically encounter ...

    Details

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    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    Perfect correlation means altruists cannot distinguish their sacrifices from inv...