Evolutionarily Stable Strategies in Polarization of Politics
In class and on homework we studied evolutionarily stable strategies in a number of different contexts. First, and most obviously, we saw them in the context of biological evolution. There are countless fascinating articles online showing evolutionarily stable traits that species have evolved over time. For example, developing cheek pads for male orangutans is an evolutionarily stable strategy as they signal dominance to females. Therefore, males with padded cheeks are more successful at reproducing.
However, here I would like to look at the effects of evolutionarily stables strategies in polarization of politics. In September, a poll determined that the most politically polarizing issue in America is global warming, specifically whether it is actually happening and if it is, if it is human-caused.
In fact, peoples’ opinions about climate change are so entrenched in political beliefs that partisan affiliation is the single best predictor for which side of the issue a person takes. Many elected Republican politicians are not just skeptical of climate change and its causes, but actively go about trying to prevent legislation that attempts to deal with it, even after being confronted with very clear and conclusive scientific results.
To those that are neutral or objective, these results and corresponding actions may seem quite simple. However, those that are already skeptical of climate change have obviously proven to be very difficult to convince. One explanation offered for this stubbornness is the fact that being overconfident is an evolutionarily stable strategy. In a world where the vast majority of people are overconfident, it is easy to see how being passive would not work very well. Instead, joining the crowd and also being overconfident is the only way to get your opinion across.
However, as alluded to in the article, while overconfidence is evolutionarily stable, it’s almost surely not conducive to change in society. As soon as a population gets divided, especially along political lines, overconfidence on each side is very difficult to overcome. This problem is problematic enough as far as it pertains to climate change, but as a general issue it is even more troubling.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/climate-change-more-divisive-abortion-blame-republicans
http://phys.org/news/2015-09-orangutan-females-dominant-cheek-padded-males.html