I don’t think that automatic fear, suspicion and hatred of outsiders is a necessary prerequisite to a special consideration for close friends, family, etc. Also, yes, outgroup hatred makes cooperation on large-scale Prisoner’s Dilemmas even harder than it generally is for humans.
But finally, I want to point out that we are currently wired so that we can’t get as motivated to face a huge problem if there’s no villain to focus fear and hatred on. The “fighting” circuitry can spur us to superhuman efforts and successes, but it doesn’t seem to trigger without an enemy we can characterize as morally evil.
If a disease of some sort threatened the survival of humanity, governments might put up a fight, but they’d never ask (and wouldn’t receive) the level of mobilization and personal sacrifice that they got during World War II— although if they were crafty enough to say that terrorists caused it, they just might. Concern for loved ones isn’t powerful enough without an idea that an evil enemy threatens them.
Wouldn’t you prefer to have that concern for loved ones be a sufficient motivating force?
Carl:
I don’t think that automatic fear, suspicion and hatred of outsiders is a necessary prerequisite to a special consideration for close friends, family, etc. Also, yes, outgroup hatred makes cooperation on large-scale Prisoner’s Dilemmas even harder than it generally is for humans.
But finally, I want to point out that we are currently wired so that we can’t get as motivated to face a huge problem if there’s no villain to focus fear and hatred on. The “fighting” circuitry can spur us to superhuman efforts and successes, but it doesn’t seem to trigger without an enemy we can characterize as morally evil.
If a disease of some sort threatened the survival of humanity, governments might put up a fight, but they’d never ask (and wouldn’t receive) the level of mobilization and personal sacrifice that they got during World War II— although if they were crafty enough to say that terrorists caused it, they just might. Concern for loved ones isn’t powerful enough without an idea that an evil enemy threatens them.
Wouldn’t you prefer to have that concern for loved ones be a sufficient motivating force?