Would chimpanzees make better politicians?
It’s
tempting to think so. Consider the attributes of the ideal politician: fairness, selflessness, co-operative ability and strategising skills. Do chimps have these? They certainly have an expectation of fairness when it comes to themselves, throwing temper tantrums if given a lesser food than a companion. But their societies are far from equal, headed by a despotic alpha male who has best access to food and females. Studies also imply that chimps are ‘rational maximisers’ that don’t consider fairness when deciding on reward distribution, choosing self-interest over equality. What about co-operation and strategy? In some studies, chimps were ‘strategic maximisers’, co-operating when it benefitted them but choosing a non-social option otherwise. Though chimps in small groups have shown themselves able to co-ordinate to achieve joint benefits, whether this is comparable to the spontaneous, rapid, large-scale cooperation seen in our species is up for debate. We’re perhaps better off with the politicians we have. Leoma Williams