Using the cuckoo’s reproductive strategy and the prisoner’s dilemma, we explore the recurrent reciprocity hypothesis, which explains why selfish organisms choose altruistic behavior in repeated interactions. The hypothesis uses the examples of mating and vampire bats to shed light on the complexity of altruistic behavior in human and animal societies, and discusses how these behaviors lead to evolutionary benefits.
Cuckoos, famous for their clockwork chimes, are also known for laying their eggs in the nests of other birds of their species, such as buntings and warblers, when it is time for them to lay their eggs, allowing them to raise their young for them. Cuckoos are well known for their ability to use other birds’ nests to reproduce, rather than building their own. This is a survival strategy to increase their reproductive success, and it’s very effective, especially since they don’t have to take care of their young themselves. In fact, when it’s time for a female cuckoo to lay her eggs, she will carefully observe other female birds of her species and then push one egg out of the nest and replace it with her own. The cuckoo’s eggs are often larger and a different color than the nestlings’, but the nestlings either don’t notice or ignore them. The resulting cuckoo chick instinctively pushes away the chicks and eggs of the other birds that are supposed to be in the nest and grows to adulthood by feeding from the fake mother. Cuckoo chicks are very aggressive and will instinctively push other eggs and chicks out of the nest. This allows them to be the only survivor in the nest and monopolize all resources.
This behavior makes people curse cuckoos because they think they’re mean and selfish. This behavior can seem very immoral and selfish from a human perspective. However, most living things in the world are also selfish. In the natural world, survival is often achieved through competition and conflict, and it’s not uncommon to sacrifice other organisms for their own survival and reproduction. They live at the expense of other individuals for their own benefit, such as lions eating deer and humans eating cows and pigs. In nature, organisms at the top of the food chain survive by predating on those at the bottom, which is an important factor in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. However, it’s not always selfish behavior; sometimes selfish people and animals also engage in altruistic behavior, and one hypothesis that helps explain why is the reciprocal reciprocity hypothesis. Altruistic behavior is generally defined as behavior that is contrary to one’s own self-interest, but it can also be a strategy that maximizes an individual’s benefit under certain conditions.
While it is natural for altruistic people to act altruistically, there are specific reasons why selfish people act altruistically. True altruism is an act of giving without expecting anything in return, but in many cases, altruistic behavior can be a strategic choice with long-term rewards in mind. The reciprocity hypothesis is best illustrated by the Prisoner’s Dilemma situation, which is described as follows. This dilemma illustrates how an interaction between two people can unfold. First, there are two selfish prisoners, A and B. They are in different cells and don’t know the other’s behavior. They have two options: they can accuse the other of a crime or they can deny it, saying they didn’t commit the crime. Their choice determines the sentence they receive.
In the prisoner’s dilemma situation, it seems best for both of them to deny the crime and serve one year each. This is the result of a cooperative choice, which is the optimal outcome that can occur when mutual trust is established. However, both prisoners accuse the other and are sentenced to three years each, for the following reasons. In this situation, an individual’s rational choice leads to a collective irrational outcome. First, in A’s situation, if B denies the crime, it is more beneficial for A to accuse the other person and not be sentenced than to deny the crime and receive a one-year sentence.
What happens if this situation is not a one-time occurrence, but is repeated many times? In these repeated situations, individuals adjust their behavior in light of the other person’s behavior. The best situation for both A and B would be to both deny their guilt and receive a year each time the choice is repeated.
A good example of this hypothesis is the Korean tradition of “pum-at-i”. This traditional culture of mutual cooperation still plays an important role in modern society. In the past, during the busy farming season, neighbors would help each other out if they were short on labor, and those who received help would help their neighbors the next time they needed it.
The core of the reciprocity hypothesis is that when people believe they will encounter each other many times, reciprocal relationships are established and altruistic behaviors emerge among people who consider long-term gains and losses. These altruistic behaviors strengthen social bonds and benefit both individuals and groups in the long run. But there are obvious limitations to this hypothesis, which explains why we see so much altruistic behavior around us.
This helps us understand how altruistic behavior is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Altruism may not simply be a matter of moral choice, but an evolutionary strategy for survival and thriving. Even now, on Earth, there are countless examples of altruistic behavior among species, from insects to animals to humans, and research continues to search for a more complete hypothesis to explain it. These studies provide important clues to understanding the complex interactions between humans and nature, and offer the opportunity to gain deeper insights into our social behavior.
