Motives for Conditional Cooperation: Reciprocity, Trust and Fairness

Abstract

In the previous chapter I argued that the cooperative virtues are not reasons for unconditional cooperation. We arrived at that conclusion for conceptual reasons as well as for intuitive considerations about compliance with social norms. Finally, we saw that the empirical material¹ gathered by psychologists and economists clearly suggests that human agents do not cooperate unconditionally. This is not to say that motives fot unconditional compliant cooperation are not virtuous. They can be, depending on the context in which they emerge. It has been argued, for examlile, that people who rescued Jews from prosecution during the German occupation in Western Europe acted precisely on such unconditional motives and clearly such behavior is virtuous.¹ I am not implying either that people who conform to social norms never act from reasons for unconditional cooperation. Maybe people do. However, if one would to know why rational agents comply with a norm because it is the norm, then one should not look to the unconditional reasons for cooperation.