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It is a bit on the best-seller realm, but Jared Diamond describes this kind of self-defeating behavior in “Collapse”, particularly regarding the fate of Easter Island. Em seg, 9 de jul de 2018 às 14:31, BYRNE, DAVE S. <[log in to unmask]> escreveu: > Is this an issue of scale? There are examples on islands where a species > has died out because it has exhausted its environment. Interestingly some > human populations notably I think Tikopia as described by Raymond Firth > have imposed cultural norms which limit resource use - for example they > slaughtered all pigs on the island in the 1600s because pigs were eating > food that could be eaten by humans and relied on fishing for protein. I > seem to rember they imposed strict birth limits. Anyhow in both spatial and > temporal scales things can be different because new factors enter although > humanity as a whole seems to have something to learn from Tikopia about > resource management. > > > David Byrne > > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* News and discussion about computer simulation in the social > sciences <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Xavier VIlà < > [log in to unmask]> > *Sent:* Monday, July 9, 2018 6:20:12 PM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: [SIMSOC] Interesting "Evolutionary" Finding: Uh-Oh? > > > Hi all, > > As we all know, there is a plethora of evolutionary models that can > provide different explanations. > > But I think that the nice point in Edmund's question is its simplicity: > > What, in biological evolution, stops the quest for individual reproductive > success from destroying the environment? > > > And the answer, according to most evolutionary theories, is also simple: > > "Nothing" > > Only, the theory would continue, that such species will become > extinct. (because of overpopulation, or from starvation) > Species that, for some reason, do not have such "extreme egoism" in > their genes can survive. > > The Prey-Predator model, for example, show this. > > But then again, I might be looking in the wrong direction. > > I think that it's an interesting question. > > Best, > Xavier > > On 09/07/18 17:53, Edmund Chattoe-Brown wrote: > > Dear All, > > I am fooling about with a very simple evolutionary model. Agents have a "gene" (in the sense that it is inherited with small mutation and stays fixed for the life time) which determines what fraction of available "food" they take from a patch (from 0 - too altruistic to survive - to 1 - take everything you can get). The added wrinkle is that if an agent takes all food off a patch then it is "denuded" and can't regrow. You might think that "stupidly selfish" agents would die out but, unfortunately, they keep their reproductive advantage relative to more "moderate" agents until _everyone_ dies! > > Am I unintentionally making stupid assumptions in evolutionary terms to get this outcome? What, in biological evolution, stops the quest for individual reproductive success from destroying the environment? Can this model only work if we assume that there is no total denudation? (Some other species of grass or food will always come along or it is really not possible to "forage the environment to death?") > > All thoughts welcome, > > Edmund > > > > -- > > > <http://www.uab.cat> > > Xavier Vilà > > Departament d'Economia i d'Història Econòmica > Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica > > Edifici B - Despatx B3-148 > Campus de la UAB · 08193 Bellaterra > (Cerdanyola del Vallès) · Barcelona · Spain > > T +34 581 21 91 > www.uab.cat > > <http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9122-5525> > <https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=ADEAABlFHlMBngKblrhjVHKjy-AeI0ez6koG6Vg&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=PY-w&locale=en_U> > > This message may contain private or confidential information, and is > addressed exclusively to its intended recipient. If you have received it in > error, please notify the sender and delete it. Please bear in mind that you > are not authorized to use it for any purposes. > > Please consider the environment before printing this email. > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the SIMSOC list, click the following link: > https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=SIMSOC&A=1 > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the SIMSOC list, click the following link: > https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=SIMSOC&A=1 > -- *Hamilton Carvalho* www.hamiltoncarvalho.com ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the SIMSOC list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=SIMSOC&A=1