Moshe Hoffman
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View article: The emergence of categorical norms
The emergence of categorical norms Open
Why are norms unduly sensitive to categorical distinctions compared to continuous variation? For instance, the norm against the use of chemical weapons considers the type of weapon used, not how much suffering was caused; human rights are …
View article: Individualist moral principles and the expansion of the moral circle
Individualist moral principles and the expansion of the moral circle Open
The last three centuries have witnessed a moral and political transformation. Groups previously denied equivalent moral standing—including propertyless men, women, ethnic and religious minorities, homosexuals, and slaves—became moral equal…
View article: Competitiveness, gender and handedness
Competitiveness, gender and handedness Open
We conduct an intercultural experiment in three locations on three different continents to elicit competitiveness and study whether individual differences in competitiveness are related to handedness. Being a "lefty" (i.e., having either a…
View article: Commitment and impersonation: A reputation-based theory of principled behavior
Commitment and impersonation: A reputation-based theory of principled behavior Open
Principled behavior seems to defy evolutionary logic. Principled people consistently abide by their principles, ignore tradeoffs or compromises, and pursue the principles for transcendental reasons, such as that they are “right”, decreed b…
View article: Uncalculating cooperation is used to signal trustworthiness
Uncalculating cooperation is used to signal trustworthiness Open
Significance Human prosociality presents an evolutionary puzzle, and reciprocity has emerged as a dominant explanation: cooperating today can bring benefits tomorrow. Reciprocity theories clearly predict that people should only cooperate w…
View article: Cooperate without Looking in a Non-Repeated Game
Cooperate without Looking in a Non-Repeated Game Open
We propose a simple model for why we have more trust in people who cooperate without calculating the associated costs. Intuitively, by not looking at the payoffs, people indicate that they will not be swayed by high temptations to defect, …
View article: Cooperate without looking: Why we care what people think and not just what they do
Cooperate without looking: Why we care what people think and not just what they do Open
Significance Why do we trust people more when they do good without considering in detail the cost to themselves? People who avoid “looking” at the costs of good acts can be trusted to cooperate in important situations, whereas those who lo…