Religion, Economy, and Cooperation

Download or read book Religion, Economy, and Cooperation written by Ilkka Pyysiäinen and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2010 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume addresses the issue of religion and economy in the evolution of human cooperation. Both religious practices and economic behavior create and sustain intra-group cooperation by providing people with common goals and values. Even if individuals are selfish maximizers of utility, in the end everybody benefits from being part of a cooperative community, the market. The rules of the market are the invisible hand which turns selfishness into cooperation. In the same way, God beliefs constrain individual selfishness and ensure cooperation within the group.