‘Righteous Vengeance’ Critical To The Common Good?

A recent Wall Street Journal "Science Journal" column by Sharon Begley presented recent research that concludes society benefits greatly from persons who exact "righteous vengeance" on the selfish.

By way of background, all people in human society benefit when members contribute to the common good by donating time, money, labor and resources. One plus one in this case equals three, or four - and every person enjoys the rewards. However, what happens when one person does not contribute? Well, he gets to enjoy the bounty provided by all the givers AND HE DID NOT HAVE TO SHARE ANY OF HIS OWN, so the non-giver gets more than anyone!

Clearly, from a selfish, individualistic, dog-eat-dog mentality, the smartest thing for an individual to do is to not contribute. But if everyone did that, then everyone would lose. So, the common good of society is buoyed by the givers and contributors. However, subconsciously, individuals know that they are really better off by simply freeloading. And, most people act in their own rational self-interest.

What, then, prevents society from eroding into selfishness? The answer, according to one body of research, is "righteous vengeance." More particularly, there are persons in society who are willing to take time and energy to reprimand persons that they see exhibiting selfish behavior. And it is the existence of these "police," and the pressure they exhibit, that pushes more people to give.

And so, the quality of society in the future just may hinge on the numbers, or effectiveness, of persons willing to take their personal time and energy to inflict righteous vengeance on the selfish.