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NL888 Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
The asymmetries are greater? Greater than what?
Does "the asymmetries are greater" mean "the asymmetries are greater.than reciprocal altruism"?
Context:
which to search for them. Honeyguides lead ratels (and sometimes men) to honey by a special enticing flight, used for no other purpose. Both sides benefit from the transaction. A crock of gold may lie under a large stone, too heavy for its discoverer to move. He enlists the help of others even though he then has to share the gold, because without their help he would get none. The living kingdoms are rich in such mutualistic relationships: buffaloes and oxpeckers, red tubular flowers and hummingbirds, groupers and cleaner wrasses, cows and their gut micro-organisms. Reciprocal altruism works because of asymmetries in needs and in capacities to meet them. That is why it works especially well between different
species: the asymmetries are greater.
Context:
which to search for them. Honeyguides lead ratels (and sometimes men) to honey by a special enticing flight, used for no other purpose. Both sides benefit from the transaction. A crock of gold may lie under a large stone, too heavy for its discoverer to move. He enlists the help of others even though he then has to share the gold, because without their help he would get none. The living kingdoms are rich in such mutualistic relationships: buffaloes and oxpeckers, red tubular flowers and hummingbirds, groupers and cleaner wrasses, cows and their gut micro-organisms. Reciprocal altruism works because of asymmetries in needs and in capacities to meet them. That is why it works especially well between different
species: the asymmetries are greater.
Top answer
No, it means that the asymmetries are greater between different species than they are between members of the same species.
- No, it means that the asymmetries are greater between different species than they are between members of the same species.
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4 Answers
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No, it means that the asymmetries are greater between different species than they are between members of the same species.
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Here's the basic and broad idea.
reciprocal altruism organisms help each other to get what they want.
eg You want a sweater. I want an ice cream.
the asymmetries are greater This works best when each organism wants things that are very different, as in the above example.
It does not work well if eg you want chocolate ice cream and I want vanilla ice cream,
reciprocal altruism organisms help each other to get what they want.
eg You want a sweater. I want an ice cream.
the asymmetries are greater This works best when each organism wants things that are very different, as in the above example.
It does not work well if eg you want chocolate ice cream and I want vanilla ice cream,
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Thank you both.
"to meet them" - "to meet what"? Does it mean "to meet the asymmetries (the asymmetries in needs and asymmetries in capacities"?
"to meet them" - "to meet what"? Does it mean "to meet the asymmetries (the asymmetries in needs and asymmetries in capacities"?
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NL888Thank you both."to meet them" - "to meet what"? Does it mean "to meet the asymmetries (the asymmetries in needs and asymmetries in capacities"?Capacities to meet (= satisfy) the needs.
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