Source: Facebook

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRODUCTIVE COOPERATION AND NON PRODUCTIVE INTERACTION

(edited and reposted)

PROPERTARIAN ANALYSIS

Let me ‘get all Propertarian’ here. Define properties, axis, actions, Property, and costs.

BIOLOGICAL TRUTH TABLE:

Ternary : Neutral(Null), Benefit (True), Harm False)

RESULTS (In Descending Order)

1) Mutualism: both organisms benefit. TT

2) Commensalism: one benefits without affecting the other. TN

3) Parasitism: one benefits while the other is harmed. TF

4) Amensalism: one is unaffected and the other is harmed NF

5) (?): both are harmed : FF

OPPORTUNITY COSTS vs FIXED PRODUCTION/CONSUMPTION

The biological model above does not account for opportunity costs from production, where production in a division of labor. We must correct the difference between organisms that engage in production and those that do not.

An opportunity cost is the DIFFERENCE between one choice and another. In other words, only mutually productive exchanges are free of loss. ie: there is only one T position in the truth table. Unlike non-producing organisms. Biology is a poor analogy, because production is nearly unique to man.

Lets see if I can simplify this even more without losing the central idea.

EXAMPLE

A and B engage in a mutually productive exchange.

Neither A nor B at this moment have a more productive exchange to engage in.

This is the maximum yield any action can produce, at zero opportunity cost.

Every action OTHER than this one decreases the benefit and increases the opportunity cost from zero.

CORRECTED TRUTH TABLE

P= Production , ~P = Lost opportunity for production, H=harm

1) Mutualism: both organisms benefit. TT => P1 + P2 = TRUE

2) Commensalism: one benefits without affecting the other. TN=> P1 + ~P2 = FALSE

3) Parasitism: one benefits while the other is harmed. TF=> P1 + ~P2 – H2 = FALSE

4) Amensalism: one is unaffected and the other is harmed NF=>~P1 + ~P2 – H2 = FALSE

5) (?): both are harmed : FF => ~P1 + H1 + ~P2 + H1 = FALSE

EXCEPTION: MODIFIED BY KIN SELECTION

Genetic Distance: |<-Self, Offspring, Kin, Associates, Neutrals, Competitors, Enemies->|

Humans demonstrate kin selection; treatment of self, near genes and farther genes as priorities with marginal indifference applied to offspring.

INSTINCTS

a) desire for cooperation (to reduce costs by increasing productivity)

b) prohibition on free riding (cheating as defense against parasitism)

CONCLUSION

Humans engage in cooperation, eschew free riding, and in any act of cooperation, opportunity costs guarantee that all non-productive exchanges (aside from kin selection) are net losses.

This is different from biological organisms who do not have the ability to cooperate on production by choosing between opportunity costs.

Curt Doolittle

The Propertarian Institute

Kiev