The Mathematics of Altruism

A simple mathematic formula is starting to explain the counter-intuitive prevalence of altruism in society. Why humans cooperate even when they don't receive anything in exchange is a question that has puzzled academics for centuries, especially since in evolution the basis for the "survival of the fittest" is, after all, selfishness. But in an article just published in the journal Nature, three Portuguese theoretical physicists develop a mathematical model capable of providing a way out from this conundrum through the introduction of social diversity. This new mathematic model for society's evolution is particularly interesting because not only does it reveal a logic behind the large numbers of cooperators that we know exist in all human societies, but it also gives us a glimpse of the principles that can help us ontoto a better, fairer, path.

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