Communism and the Incentive to Share in Science
Accepted version
Peer-reviewed
Repository URI
Repository DOI
Change log
Authors
Heesen, Remco https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3823-944X
Abstract
The communist norm requires that scientists widely share the results of their work. Where did this norm come from, and how does it persist? I argue on the basis of a game-theoretic model that rational credit-maximizing scientists will in many cases conform to the norm. This means that the origins and persistence of the communist norm can be explained even in the absence of a social contract or enforcement, contrary to recent work by Michael Strevens but adding to previous work emphasizing the benefits of the incentive structure created by the priority rule.
Description
Keywords
50 Philosophy and Religious Studies, 5002 History and Philosophy Of Specific Fields, Behavioral and Social Science
Journal Title
Philosophy of Science
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
0031-8248
1539-767X
1539-767X
Volume Title
84
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Publisher DOI
Sponsorship
Leverhulme Trust (ECF-2016-551)
Isaac Newton Trust (1608(ac))
Isaac Newton Trust (1608(ac))
This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation under grant SES 1254291 and by an Early Career Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust and the Isaac Newton Trust.