People often conflate cooperation with doing good or what is right. The thought goes that is everyone just gets along and cooperates, than it’s a win for everyone. And getting along is exactly what those nice churchy people do when they reach out into the community with a helping hand to those in need. Out of a sense of duty to our fellow person, an altruist will act to augment the welfare of others.
And this is true. But there are other examples of cooperation that have not a thing to do with do-gooders in their Sunday best.
We’ve been reading David Skarbek’s book The Puzzle of Prison Order. It’s a thoughtful book of comparative analysis. By looking at various prisons, both their physical structures and their management structures, the author elucidates the emergence of a variety of levels of self-governence throughout the convict community. In South America, prisoners maybe responsible for virtually all necessities behind their wardens’ wall. While in Norway the prisoner to guard ratio is virtually one-on-one creating little need for the captive take on any duties.
From the case studies it is clear that where few services are provided, prisoners organize to allocate housing, maintain safety standards, and supplement the meager amount of food provided to them.
In San Pedro prison, governance emerges in the political realm (in the form of housing associations), in the commercial realm (markets and exchange with the outside world), and in civil society (as with the parents association).
Whereas in Bolivia the time invested by the inmates is extensive, in a small Californian prison for the gay and trans population only one position was necessary to be the intermediary between the prison population and the guards. A House Mouse takes on the duties of go between with the prison staff. Skarbek’s examination of the various spontaneous arrangement throws light on the various levels of investments demanded of the convicts. Depending on the need for governance, individuals rise to the occasion and donate their labor hours to the endeavor (one might say the socially necessary amount of labor hours, but that’s for another post).
But wait. It’s easy to forget that these are criminals who have been removed from civil society. Their emerging cooperation is forced upon them as a result of immoral behavior against their countrymen and women. They are not do-gooders. They are not altruists- at least not to the outside. Altruism delivered through self-organization is to noone’s benefit but them and theirs. And the moral behavior is dictated by their own set of rules.
Cooperation is a descriptor for a type of societal action. It’s the act of foregoing a bit of freedom to be apart of a group. Cooperation is a technique to attain an aim for an ingroup while withholding it from an outgroup. Cooperation has no moral compass. Resulting outcomes can either be good or bad depending on which wall surrounds you.
It is not equivalent to altruism. Altruism is a gift for which no duty or repayment is required.
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