Evidence of cooperation is found everywhere in the natural world, but human society is unusual in that it involves large-scale cooperation between unrelated individuals.  This extended capacity to cooperate is a key component of what it means to be human and has been fundamental to the success of our species as a whole.

Over recent years there has been a rapid expansion in scientific research aimed at developing our understanding of the evolution, dynamics and mechanisms of cooperative behaviour. Cooperation: an Interdisciplinary Dialogue is the final conference of the EC-funded INCORE consortium (Integrating Cooperation Research across Europe).  Its central objectives are to bring together researchers from diverse fields and to showcase the value of an interdisciplinary approach to answering the many important questions that remain about why and how humans cooperate.

The conference begins with a joint session with the ESF-funded TECT consortia (The Evolution of Cooperation and Trading), which will be holding its final conference during the preceding days at the same venue.  TECT and INCORE have similar aims, and through the bringing together of the events, we aim to establish a “forward-looking” feeling at the end of both European actions, and foster further collaboration among participants.

Confirmed speakers:

Zoltan Barta, University of Debrecen

Sam Bowles,Santa Fe Institute and University of Sienna

Redouan Bshary, University of Neuchâtel

Terry Deacon, University of California-Berkeley 

Simon Gächter, University of Nottingham

Laurent Keller, University of Lausanne

Ronald Noë, University of Strasbourg

Tamás Székely, University of Bath

Tania Singer, Max Planck Institute, Leipzig

Douglas Yu, University of East Anglia

 

Major topics:

Model systems and the evolution of cooperation

The ecology of cooperation

The dynamics of cooperation: experiment and theory

Communication, culture and compassion

 

Please note: The conference was originally due to take place in April 2010.  It was rescheduled as a result of disruption to travel caused by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud.

 

 

INCORE partners







Funded by 6th Framework Programme of the European Commission