Terence Kealey: Science Notebook

We scientists are kindly creatures, anxious to see only the best in our fellows. Consider a recent paper in Science magazine entitled “Via Freedom to Coercion: The Emergence of Costly Punishment”. The study was led by Christoph Hauert, of Harvard University.

The problem of punishment is simple. Imagine a tribe of hunter-gatherers. Imagine that all the men are brave and that they share equally in the risks of the hunt. Now imagine that one of those men is actually a creep, hiding behind a tree while the risks are being taken, and slipping out to grab a share of the food only after the beast is safely dead.

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