A disposition to fairness can evolve even when unshared, unlike a disposition to cooperate.

Evidence

Other social traits, for instance, a disposition to emit and respond to alarm calls, are advantageous to an individual only when they are shared in its population. In this respect, a mere disposition to cooperate and a disposition to do so fairly belong to different categories. An evolved disposition to cooperate is adaptive only when it is shared in a population: A mutant disposed to share resources with others would be at a disadvantage in a population where no one else would have the disposition to reciprocate. On the other hand, in a population of cooperators competing to be chosen as partners, a mutant disposed to cooperate fairly, not just when it is to her short-term advantage but always, might well be overall advantaged, even if no other individual had the same disposition, because this would enhance her chances to be chosen as a partner. This suggests a two-step account of the evolution of morality: — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 72

Categorization

• XREF: Directly relevant to the reader’s stated purpose: the fumi-e trampling is a partner-choice-destroying ritual (Baumard et al.), and this passage explains why fair-but-not-merely-reciprocal disposition is exactly what partner choice selects for — the mechanism the Japanese authorities target. — connects to: Fairness evolves from partner choice, not partner control — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality: The…, 610; Morality is an evolved sense of fairness, not a late intellectual achievement — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality: The…, 656; Fairness evolved as a psychological device because outside market options constrain benefit distribution. — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality: The…, 201 (+3 more)
• DEFINE: Clarifies the key distinction between a disposition to cooperate (frequency-dependent, adaptive only when shared) and a disposition to be fair (advantageous even alone, via partner choice).

Related

• Morality evolved because fair partners were preferred in cooperative interactions (similarity 0.89)
• Fairness evolved to distribute payoffs by input, not equally. (similarity 0.89)
• Fairness evolved as a psychological device because outside market options constrain benefit distribution. (similarity 0.88)
• Fairness evolves from partner choice, not partner control (similarity 0.88)
• Morality evolves in two steps, from selfish reciprocity to intrinsic fairness. (similarity 0.88)
• Fairness is not reducible to mutualistic partner choice. (similarity 0.87)
• Morality evolved as a propensity for fair cost-benefit sharing among cooperators. (similarity 0.87)
• Fairness emerges when partner choice links each interaction to outside opportunities. (similarity 0.86)
• A preference for fairness can directly favor equalitarianism in cooperation. (similarity 0.85)
• Fairness is self-interested because stingy partners get abandoned. (similarity 0.84)
• Morality may have evolved via partner choice over partner control (similarity 0.84)
• Fairness rests on impartiality, not mutualistic cooperation. (similarity 0.83)
• Meritocratic fairness norms evolved as adaptations to partner-choice markets (similarity 0.83)
• Morality is an evolved sense of fairness, not a late intellectual achievement (similarity 0.83)
• Morality evolves from individual partner-choice competition, not group selection. (similarity 0.83)

Broader Connections

• Fairness emerges when partner choice links each interaction to outside opportunities. #expands (0.90) — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 45
• Fairness evolves from partner choice, not partner control #expands (0.85) — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 610
• Fairness evolved as a psychological device because outside market options constrain benefit distribution. #expands (0.85) — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 201
• Morality evolved because fair partners were preferred in cooperative interactions #responds-to (0.80) — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 4
• Morality evolves in two steps, from selfish reciprocity to intrinsic fairness. #qualifies (0.80) — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 73
• Morality is an evolved sense of fairness, not a late intellectual achievement #expands (0.75) — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 656