Chariots of the Sun

Abstract

Each man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him. But a day comes when he begins to care that he does not cheat his neighbor. Then all goes well -- he has changed his market-cart into a chariot of the sun. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

The rule of law is essential to peace and economic growth. Unselfish behavior, in turn, may be essential to maintaining rule of law. Indeed, there is substantial empirical evidence to suggest that cultural habits of unselfish, prosocial behavior are correlated with economic prosperity at the national level.

If this correlation reflects a causal link, the dominance of the homo economicus model in contemporary academic and policymaking circles may have serious and negative consequences for American society. Earlier Chapters developed a "three-factor" model that treats unselfish prosociality as socially-contingent behavior that responds to (1) instructions from authority; (2) perceptions that others are, or would, behave prosocially; and (3) the magnitude of the perceived benefits to others from one’s own unselfish prosocial actions. This approach suggests that widespread acceptance of the homo economicus assumption of rational self-interest can prove a "self-fulfilling prophecy" that induces people to behave more selfishly than they otherwise would - to our collective loss.