Why Children Like to Share

Francis Ysidro Edgeworth, the grandfather of modern economic theory, referred to individual self-interest as "the first principle of pure economics." Until recently, economists routinely equated being rational with being selfish. The assumption was that, because humans are biological creatures, we'd been programmed by Darwinian evolution to put our own interests first-survival, after all, is a tough competition. As a result, even seemingly altruistic traits, such as giving money to charity or helping strangers in need, were seen as traits ultimately rooted in self-interest. In recent years the tide has swung dramatically against such a bleak view of human nature, however.

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