Citation

Ginges J, Atran S. Proc. Biol. Sci. 2011; 278(1720): 2930-2938.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, New School for Social Research, 80 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Royal Society of London)

DOI

10.1098/rspb.2010.2384

PMID

21325334

PMCID

PMC3151701

Abstract

We present findings from one survey and five experiments carried out in the USA, Nigeria and the Middle East showing that judgements about the use of deadly intergroup violence are strikingly insensitive to quantitative indicators of success, or to perceptions of their efficacy. By demonstrating that judgements about the use of war are bounded by rules of deontological reasoning and parochial commitment, these findings may have implications for understanding the trajectory of violent political conflicts. Further, these findings are compatible with theorizing that links the evolution of within-group altruism to intergroup violence.

Language: en