Formal aspects of the emergence of institutions

We argue that social institutions emerge on the basis of the human cognitive ability to integrate an evaluation of the behavior and performances of other group members over long time periods. The results of those evaluations are condensed into the social status of an individual, and that status is the link between short time achievements and long term success within the group. Altruistic behavior on a short time scale can be advantageous for an individual on a longer time scale as it contributes to her or his status. Conversely, building mating decisions not on events that may be quite random on a short time scale, but on long term accumulations is an evolutionarily rational behavior because it reduces stochastic fluctuations by averaging. Our proposal does not need any group selection scheme. It calls some approaches to computer simulations of social dynamics into question. It is based on considerations from system theory, in particular, concerning the integration of different temporal scales. It utilizes a new concept of emergence as opposed to self-organization through non-linear interactions of simple elements. It requires further studies from the social sciences to understand that scale shift as encoded in social status. Humans live in groups, and the life of a group is regulated by institutions that stabilize the social interactions between its members. Thus, the patterns of interaction become more durable and predictable for the individuals. These institutions are implemented through rules that can range from mere conventions and informal codes of behavior to formal laws in advanced societies. The individual members obey these rules and contribute to them often at a personal Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Inselstr.22-26, 04103 Leipzig, Germany, [email protected] Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA, [email protected]