Universalization and altruism

Jean-François Laslier (1, 2)

1 PSE - Paris School of Economics
2 PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques

To any normal form game, we associate the symmetric two-stage game in which, in a first stage, the roles to be played in the base game are randomly assigned. We show that any equilibrium of the κ-universalization of this extended game is an equilibrium of the base game played by altruistic players ("ex ante Homo Moralis is altruistic"), and that the converse is false. The paper presents the implications of this remark for the philosophical nature of ethical behavior (Kantianism behind the veil of ignorance implies but is stronger than altruism) and for its evolutionary foundations.

Mots clés: Ethics; Games; Evolution; Altruism; Universalization; Kant; Homo Moralis ethics; Homo Moralis

Domaines: Economies et finances

Jean-François Laslier. Universalization and altruism. 2021. ⟨halshs-03227354⟩