A Wedding Toast Is Not a State of the Union Address: Other-Regarding and Others’ Opinions Regarding Preferences As Relevant Factors in Shaping Human Preferences
PDF

Keywords

esteem
diagnosis altruism
social preferences
homo economicus

How to Cite

Warren, J. N. (2015). A Wedding Toast Is Not a State of the Union Address: Other-Regarding and Others’ Opinions Regarding Preferences As Relevant Factors in Shaping Human Preferences. ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 6(2), 104–152. https://doi.org/10.14746/eip.2015.2.8

Abstract

This paper describes using current literature and research a problem that has plagued social scientists for centuries, see that of „moral sentiments?. Human beings are inherently social by nature and hold certain regard for others? opinions (esteem preferences) as well as for others generally (altruism). It is argued in the article that such preferences may in fact be consistent with a core rational human agent. It is furthermore argued that the lack of regard for such preferences in social sciences research (and particularly within the domain of economics) severely weakens models and theories in the respective disciplines. A few potential avenues for including social preferences writ large into social science (read: economic) modeling are outlined.
https://doi.org/10.14746/eip.2015.2.8
PDF

References

Al-Ubaydli, O., Houser, D., Nye, J. V., Paganelli, M. P., & Pan, X. 2013. “The Causal Effect of Market Participation on Trust: An Experimental Investigation Using Randomized Control.” PLoS One 8(3): 1–8. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055968.

Allais, M. 1953. “Le comportement de l'homme rationnel devant le risque: critique des postulats et axiomes de l’e cole ame ricaine.” Econometrica: Journal of the Econometric Society 21(4): 503–546.

Ambrose, S. H. 1998. “Late Pleistocene Human Population Bottlenecks, Volcanic Winter, and Differentiation of Modern Humans.” Journal of Human Evolution 34(6): 623–651.

Andersen, K. K., Azuma, N., Barnola, J.-M., Bigler, M., Biscaye, P., Caillon, N., Chappellaz, J., Clausen, H. B., Dahl-Jensen, D., Fischer, H., et al. 2004. “High-Resolution Record of Northern Hemisphere Climate Extending Into the Last Interglacial Period.” Nature 431(7005): 147–151.

Andreoni, J. and Miller, J. 2002. “Giving According to Garp: An Experimental Test of the Consistency of Preferences for Altruism.” Econometrica: Journal of the Econometric Society 70(2): 737–753.

Arnold, M. 2015. “Public Outrage Is the Perfect Stick to Prod HSBC Into BreakUp." The Financial Times March 2.

Axelrod, R. & Hamilton, W. D. 1981. “The Evolution of Co-Operation”. Science 211(4489): 1390–1396.

Barr, A. 2001. Social Dilemmas and Shame-Based Sanctions: Experimental Results from Rural Zimbabwe. Oxford: Centre for the Study of African Economies.

Barr, A., Ensminger, J., Henrich, J., Wallace, C., Barrette, C., Bolyanatz, A., Ca rdenas, J.-C., Gurven, M., Gwako, E., Lesorogol, C., et al. 2009. Homo Aequalis: A Cross-Society Experimental Analysis of Three Bargaining Games. Oxford: Department of Economics.

Bernhard, H., Fischbacher, U., & Fehr, E. 2006. “Parochial Altruism in Humans.” Nature 442(7105): 912–915.

Bowles, S. & Gintis, H. 2004. “Persistent Parochialism: Trust and Exclusion in Ethnic Networks.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 55(1): 1–23.

Bowles, S. & Gintis, H. 2011. A Cooperative Species: Human Reciprocity and Its Evolution. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Bowles, S. & Polania-Reyes, S. 2012. “Economic Incentives and Social Preferences: Substitutes or Complements?.” Journal of Economic Literature 50(2): 368–425.

Brennan, G. & Pettit, P. 2004. The Economy of Esteem: An Essay on Civil and Political Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Camerer, C. & Thaler, R. H. 1995. “Anomalies: Ultimatums, Dictators and Manners.” The Journal of Economic Perspectives 9(2): 209–219.

Cardenas, J.-C. 2004. “Norms from Outside and from Inside: An Experimental Analysis on the Governance of Local Ecosystems.” Forest Policy and Economics 6(3): 229–241.

Cowen, T. 2005. Review Essay: The Economy of Esteem". Politics, Philosophy & Economics 4(3): 374-382. doi: 10.1177/1470594X05056609.

Darwin, C. 2004. The Descent of Man. London: Penguin Publishing. De Waal, F. B. 1996. Good Natured. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Declerck, C. H., Boone, C., & Kiyonari, T. 2010. “Oxytocin and Co-Operation Under Conditions of Uncertainty: The Modulating Role of Incentives and social information.” Hormones and Behavior 57(3): 368–374.

Ellingsen, T. & Johannesson, M. 2007. “Paying Respect.” The Journal of Economic Perspectives 21(4): 135–150.

Falk, A & Kosfeld, M. 2006. “The Hidden Costs of Control.” The American Economic Review 96(5): 1611–1630.

Fehr, E. & Camerer, C. F. 2007. “Social Neuroeconomics: The Neural Circuitry of Social Preferences.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences 11(10): 419–427.

Fehr, E. & Ga chter, S. 2002. “Altruistic Punishment in Humans.” Nature 415(6868): 137–140.

Fehr, E., Kirchsteiger, G., & Riedl, A. 1998. “Gift Exchange and Reciprocity in Competitive Experimental Markets.” European Economic Review 42(1): 1–34.

Fehr, E. & Leibbrandt, A. 2011. “A Field Study on Cooperativeness and Impatience in the Tragedy of the Commons.” Journal of Public Economics 95(9): 1144–1155.

Fehr, E. & Rockenbach, B. 2003. “Detrimental Effects of Sanctions on Human Altruism.” Nature 422(6928): 137–140.

Frank, R. H. 1985. Choosing the Right Pond: Human Behavior and the Quest for Status. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Friedman, M. 1953. Essays in Positive Economics. Vol. 231. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Friedman, M. & Savage, L. J. 1948. “The Utility Analysis of Choices Involving Risk.” The Journal of Political Economy 56(4): 279–304.

Gintis, H. 2009. The Bounds of Reason: Game Theory and the Unification of the Behavioral Sciences. Princton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Heckman, J. J. & Borjas, G. J. 1980. “Does Unemployment Cause Future Unemployment? Definitions, Questions and Answers from a Continuous Time Model of Heterogeneity and State Dependence.” Economica 47(187): 247–283.

Henn, B. M., Gignoux, C. R., Jobin, M., Granka, J. M., Macpherson, J., Kidd, J. M., Rodrïguez-Botigue , L., Ramachandran, S., Hon, L., Brisbin, A., et al. 2011. “Hunter-Gatherer Genomic Diversity Suggests a SouthernAfrican Origin for Modern Humans.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108(13): 5154–5162.

Henrich, J., Boyd, R., Bowles, S., Camerer, C., Fehr, E., & Gintis, H. 2004. Foundations of Human Sociality: Economic Experiments and Ethnographic Evidence from Fifteen Small-Scale Societies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hyslop, D. R. 1999. “State Dependence, Serial Correlation and Heterogeneity in Intertemporal Labor Force Participation of Married Women.” Econometrica: Journal of the Econometric Society 67(6): 1255– 1294.

Kahneman, D. & Tversky, A. 1979. “Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk.” Econometrica: Journal of the Econometric Society 47(2): 263– 291.

Keane, M. P. 1997. “Modeling Heterogeneity and State Dependence in Consumer Choice Behavior.” Journal of Business & Economic Statistics 15(3):310–327.

Kropotkin, P. 2012. Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution. Mineola, NY: Courier Dover Publications.

Kurzban, R. & Houser, D. 2005. “Experiments Investigating Cooperative Types in Humans: A Complement to Evolutionary Theory and Simulations.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 102(5): 1803–1807.

Kurzban, R. & Leary, M. R. 2001. “Evolutionary Origins of Stigmatization: The Functions of Social Exclusion.” Psychological bulletin 127(2): 187.

Lewin, T. 2015. “California Apartments Raided in Federal Investigation of Chinese ‘Birth Tourism’." New York Times March 3.

Li, J., Xiao, E., Houser, D., & Montague, P. R. 2009. “Neural Responses to Sanction Threats in Two-Party Economic Exchange.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(39):16835–16840.

Lins, T. C., Vieira, R. G., Abreu, B. S., Gentil, P., Moreno-Lima, R., Oliveira, R. J., & Pereira, R. W. 2010. “Genetic Heterogeneity of Self-Reported Ancestry Groups in an Admixed Brazilian Population.” Journal of Epidemiology/Japan Epidemiological Association 21(4): 240–245.A

Lucas Jr., R. E. 1976. “Econometric Policy Evaluation: A Critique.” CarnegieRochester Conference Series on Public Policy 1: 19–46.

Machina, M. J. 1987. “Choice Under Uncertainty: Problems Solved and Unsolved.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 1(1): 121–154.

Melino, A. & Yang, A. X. 2003. “State-Dependent Preferences Can Explain the Equity Premium Puzzle.” Review of Economic Dynamics 6(4): 806–830.

Moreno-Ga mez, S., Bowles, S., & Wilkins, J. 2009. Cosmopolitan Ancestors: Simulations Calibrated with Genetic and Ethnographic Data Show That Prehistoric Populations Were Not Small and Isolated. Santa Fe, NM: Santa Fe Institute.

Morgenstern, O. & Von Neumann, J. 1953. Theory of Games and Economic Behavior. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Munger, K. & Harris, S. J. 1989. “Effects of an Observer on Hand Washing in a Public Restroom.” Perceptual and Motor Skills 69(3): 733–734.

Munsch, C. (Hrsg.) 2003. Sozial Benachteiligte engagieren sich doch: über lokales Engagament und soziale Ausgrenzung und die Schwierigkeiten der Gemeinwesenarbeit. Weinheim - Mu nchen: Beltz Juventa.

Oosterbeek, H., Sloof, R., & Van De Kuilen, G. 2004. “Cultural Differences in Ultimatum Game Experiments: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis.” Experimental Economics 7(2): 171–188.

Prentice, D. A. & Miller, D. T. 1993. “Pluralistic Ignorance and Alcohol Use on Campus: Some Consequences of Misperceiving the Social Norm.” Journal of personality and social psychology 64(2):243.

Resnick, P., Zeckhauser, R., Swanson, J., & Lockwood, K. 2006. “The Value of Reputation on Ebay: A Controlled Experiment.” Experimental Economics 9(2): 79–101.

Rilling, J. K., DeMarco, A. C., Hackett, P. D., Thompson, R., Ditzen, B., Patel, R., & Pagnoni, G. 2012. “Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin and Vasopressin on Cooperative Behavior and Associated Brain Activity in Men.” Psychoneuroendocrinology 37(4): 447–461.

Salzano, F., Neel, J., Gershowitz, H., & Migliazza, E. 1977. “Intra and Intertribal Genetic Variation Within a Linguistic Group: The Ge-Speaking Indians of Brazil.” American Journal of Physical Anthropology 47(2): 337–347.

Schotter, A., Weiss, A., & Zapater, I. 1996. “Fairness and Survival in Ultimatum and Dictatorship Games.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 31(1): 37– 56.

Sugden, R. 1982. “On the Economics of Philanthropy.” The Economic Journal 92(366): 341–350.

Tesfatsion, L. 2003. “Agent-Based Computational Economics: Modeling Economies As Complex Adaptive Systems.” Information Sciences 149(4): 262–268.

Tesfatsion, L. 2006. “Agent-Based Computational Economics: A Constructive Approach to Economic Theory.” Handbook of Computational Economics 2:831–880.

Vertova, P. & Galbiati, R. 2010. “How Laws Affect Behavior: Obligations, Incentives and Cooperative Behavior.” Incentives and Cooperative Behavior: 1–36.

Wilson, D. S. & Sober, E. 1994. “Reintroducing Group Selection to the Human Behavioral Sciences.” Behavioral and Brain Sciences 17(04): 585–608