Supercooperators: Altruism, Evolution, and Why We Need Each Other to Succeed

Supercooperators: Altruism, Evolution, and Why We Need Each Other to Succeed Martin A. Nowak with Roger Highfield Free Press, 2011Through mathematical modeling and game theory, Martin Nowak of Harvard University highlights the crucial role of cooperation in human evolution. The problem of cooperation between two individuals (or groups) is illustrated in the Prisoner's Dilemma, wherein the best possible outcome for individuals would be to act in the name of self-interest, which, simultaneously, is the strategy of the other side. Collectively, however, cooperation would result in the best payoff. To the layman, then, self-interest mediated competition would appear to be the dominant mechanism in the struggle for survival and reproduction in a world of competing interests. From this purely abstract view, it would appear that augmenting the reproductive fitness of a competitor, while at the same time lowering one's own fitness through cooperation does not make sense. But it is now recognized that cooperation between individuals that comprise a breeding population or "gene pool" will enhance the survival of that community's genes, whether in the struggle to survive in the face of an adverse environment or in competition against rival groups for control over the same vital resources. Nowak points out a number of natural examples and mathematical models of cooperative interaction between would-be competitors. While mutation and natural selection remain the principle components of evolution, Nowak proposes "natural cooperation" as a "third principle" component. Although Nowak frames cooperation within a mathematical context, mercifully, the book is not heavy in mathematics.Nowak suggests that cooperation underlies the evolution of biological systems of wide-ranging complexity. At one end of the scale is the "primordial pizza," a random clustering on a hard surface (in contrast to the liquid substrate of the "primordial soup") of complex molecules, precursor substances of life, derived from simple chemicals. Sprinkled about the "pizza" are micro-environments shaped by interactions depending on molecules residing within that space. A form of chemical cooperation is envisioned as facilitating the replication of selected complementary molecules, thereby outcompeting molecules that do not replicate. Such self-replicating, selfcatalyzing molecules are envisioned as precursors to RNA. More extensive cooperation between replicating molecules and those that increase chemical reactions is presumed to give rise to further complex, long-chained molecules, including DNA. Around the "scaffolding" of interacting replicating molecules arose unicellular then multicellular organisms. Thus, in Nowak's view, cooperation is older than life itself.Cooperation is observed in complex systems, between cells within tissues and between organ systems within organism. Cooperation within a population, of either cells or organisms, may lead to "greater diversity by new specializations . and new divisions of labor," and, in turn, greater network (or social) complexity. However, there is no guarantee that such a population will retain its stability over time. Non-cooperators, or "defectors," which spurn cooperation in favor of self-interest, will emerge (e.g. cancer cells). As defectors increasingly dominate a population, the network built upon cooperation collapses. Following the collapse however, a new social structure based on cooperation could re-emerge, and the cycle of growth and decline begins anew. Although the cycle is viewed primarily in the context of living organisms, this thinking could be applied to abstract systems in which cooperation and self-interest exists-economics and global warming appear several times in the book in this context. With the modern technology available to humans to solve problems related to fitness and survival, Nowak holds out hope that humanity will be able to extend periods of cooperation and shorten the period of defection or at least lessen its impact. …