I wrote about something similar that I call counterfactual contracts. I focused on what a person should do strategically and came to a similar conclusion, namely, that a person should both reward actions with good intent somewhat, while also punishing actions that end up being bad for you.
This resolution is weirder to the extent that the punishment is in the form of social disgrace and the like. It’s one thing to charge Bob money for his harms to cows, and another to go around saying ‘Bob made the best altruistic decisions he could, and I would do the same in his place. Also I do think he’s contemptible.’
I think the overall weirdness of gossip-based reputation is doing a lot of work here? Though community members can hear the whole story and make nuanced updates about Bob, I think this framework makes more sense in the context of monetary punishments (or an automated reputation system).
I wrote about something similar that I call counterfactual contracts. I focused on what a person should do strategically and came to a similar conclusion, namely, that a person should both reward actions with good intent somewhat, while also punishing actions that end up being bad for you.
I think the overall weirdness of gossip-based reputation is doing a lot of work here? Though community members can hear the whole story and make nuanced updates about Bob, I think this framework makes more sense in the context of monetary punishments (or an automated reputation system).