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A broader theory of cooperation can better explain “purity”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 October 2023

Oliver Scott Curry Open the ORCID record for Oliver Scott Curry [Opens in a new window]  and
Daniel Sznycer Open the ORCID record for Daniel Sznycer [Opens in a new window]
Oliver Scott Curry
Affiliation:
School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Daniel Sznycer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USAoliver.curry@anthro.ox.ac.uk; www.oliverscottcurry.com daniel.sznycer@okstate.edu; www.sznycerlab.org
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Abstract

Self-control provides one cooperative explanation for “purity.” Other types of cooperation provide additional explanations. For example, individuals compete for status by displaying high-value social and sexual traits, which are moralised because they reduce the mutual costs of conflict. As this theory predicts, sexually unattractive traits are perceived as morally bad, aside from self-control. Moral psychology will advance more quickly by drawing on all theories of cooperation.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 46 , 2023 , e300
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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