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Cooperation is ubiquitous. Many creatures need to cooperate. But humans cooperate, not just because we need to, but also because we love to. As is clear from infant play, pointing and showing, from a very young age, we love to share activities, information, and attention.

 

Equality is the moral or political ideal that like cases should be treated alike. Very many of us subscribe to some version of this ideal. The devil comes in the detail. Also in the balancing of equality against other ideals, such as desert, liberty and efficiency.

 

Traditionally, research on cooperation and equality has been conducted separately. The aim of the project is to investigate the connections between them. These fall roughly into three categories.

Value

Value

We seem to value cooperative activities, and equal treatment, not only as means to other ends, but as ends in themselves. Is there explanatory interplay between these two forms of valuation? Might it be, for example, that cooperation is valued as an end in itself only when, and because, it is on equal terms, expressive of a recognition of equal worth? Or that equality of treatment is so valued because it indicates a commitment to cooperation?

Psychology

Psychology

Those who cooperate must, in some sense, do so voluntarily, share goals, and be "open to" (interpretable by) each other. Also, each must be ready to do more than her allotted part, where necessary. Do these psychological preconditions of cooperation imply that co-operators must accept an ideal of equality? If so, what ideal must they accept?

Norms

Norms

Cooperation can trigger duties of reliance, reciprocity and fair play. It may also require one to solicit consent, to distribute "spoils" fairly, to accept joint responsibility for outcomes, to allow others "their turn" etc. If one violates one such norm, one is open to the charge of being "uncooperative". To what extent are these norms grounded in equality?

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