#687 Kristopher Smith: Human Cooperation, Partner Choice, and Long-Distance Relationships
RECORDED ON JULY 8th 2022.
Dr. Kristopher Smith is a postdoc in the Human Sociality Lab in the Department of Anthropology at Washington State University, where he studies long-distance relationships and natural resource management in Tanzania in collaboration with Anne Pisor and Monique Borgerhoff Mulder. This project applies evolutionary anthropology to better understand how communities can work together to manage shared, open-access fisheries. He previously worked as a research associate for the Geography of Philosophy Project, led by Edouard Machery, Clark Barrett, and Stephen Stich, examining cultural variation in folk concepts of knowledge, wisdom, and reasoning. He also worked with Coren Apicella, studying how the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania maintain group cooperation and what traits they prefer in potential social partners.
In this episode, we talk about human cooperation. We start by talking about the aspects of human cooperation Dr. Smith focus the most on. We discuss models of human evolution. We talk about partner choice models, and the “anomalous-is-bad” stereotype. We also discuss if people prefer deontologists or consequentialists when it comes to moral character. We discuss long-distance relationships and resource management, and how people from different groups maintain cooperation. Throughout the interview we focus mostly on the Hadza and people from Tanzania. Finally, we talk about human universals and cross-cultural variation.
Time Links:
Intro
The aspects of human sociality Dr. Smith focus on
Models of human evolution
Partner choice models of human cooperation
The “anomalous-is-bad” stereotype
What people prefer when it comes to moral character – deontologists, consequentialists
What we can learn from the Hadza
Societies in Tanzania
Long-distance relationships and resource management
Maintaining relationships between different villages – kin, marriage, food sharing, rituals, shared identity
Human universals, and cross-cultural variation
Follow Dr. Smith’s work!
Follow Dr. Smith’s work:
University Page: https://bit.ly/3KWwxBN
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3Jqj1WU
Twitter handle: @kris_m_smith