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“Fair” outcomes without morality in cleaner wrasse mutualism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2013

Redouan Bshary
Affiliation:
Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland. [email protected]://www2.unine.ch/ethol/
Nichola Raihani
Affiliation:
Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom. [email protected]://raihanilab.webeden.co.uk/

Abstract

Baumard et al. propose a functional explanation for the evolution of a sense of fairness in humans: Fairness preferences are advantageous in an environment where individuals are in strong competition to be chosen for social interactions. Such conditions also exist in nonhuman animals. Therefore, it remains unclear why fairness (equated with morality) appears to be properly present only in humans.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

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