Human Cooperation: Unus Pro Omnibus, Omnes Pro Uno? By Marianna Koos Date: October 7, 2014

Our human history provides us with great examples of what differentiates us from any other living being on this planet. Today, scientists claim that we are the only species that has the capacity of selfless cooperation and sharing. Perhaps this is the reason why we have managed to remain on the top of the food chain.

What do you think? Interestingly enough cooperation and sharing ‘per se’ are not unique to us. Other mammals (even rodents) are also capable of supporting one another. We have many cases of proof where our primates, for example, adopt orphans or defend their mates against leopards, which clearly indicates that they do cooperate with one another. Research confirms that most of these instances likely to be triggered by need; pain; or distress. Some believe that behind such cooperation is one simple driver: empathy. Unless we manage to communicate with these mammals we will never know for certain their motives and their reasoning to cooperate. If we go with the notion that empathy is a characteristic of most mammals including humans, and that is the driving forces to cooperate then we must search for our uniqueness elsewhere. Perhaps it is not the cause what prompts cooperation where our distinct value is, but rather the way we structure and promote cooperativeness. It is evident that our ability to create complex organizations on a large scale, in which we do set expectations; foster teamwork; share the benefits; and punish freeloaders, is simply unique. After all we are the ones who created the concept of ‘one for all and all for one’ or ‘unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno ’, which is not found anywhere else in nature. I am wondering however, why we are so good at at not only creating sophisticated organizations, such as governments but also complying with its demands most of the times dutifully without any protest. We seem to feel good about being part of a unit, either it is as small as a family, or as large as a country. What is the driving force behind our discipline? If we rewind in time the reason is obvious. In the past, our ancient ancestors’ could not have survived in their harsh and unsafe environment without a unity. They simply needed to cooperate otherwise we probably would not be here today. Does this sound selfless cooperation to you, as scientist claim? Is it driven by empathy towards others? Clearly it is none of the above. So, if it is not selfless and not triggered by human empathy, then what is it?

What is the real force that drives us to cooperate so well? The cause of our high capacity to collaborate is simply our strong innate instinct: our fear to cease to exist. Perhaps it is not about survival today anymore. Or is it? What motivates us today to cooperate? I believe that today the secret lies in our hypersensitiveness nature, which puts an extreme importance on public opinion, no matter what any of us may claim. By being observed within a community we worry about our reputation hence we do cooperate. We simply comply due to our fear of the consequences if we do not. In other words, we fear of being punished if we are perceived as a slacker of our organization we are part of. Now, you may say, that there are many people out there who selflessly cooperate and risk their own lives to save others. Of course, it is correct and highly evident. But one thing we may want to remember that the driving force behind such ‘selfless’ cooperation is still FEAR. Our fear of survival is not only self-directed. We also inclined to subconsciously protect the survival our species. Hence our survival instinct also kicks in when our own kind is threatened. Think about the people who are actively involved, right now, to put the Ebola outbreak under control, or the ones who helped out during the Japanese tsunami, or at 9/11. Perhaps, it is selfless and empathy is applied but the ultimate reason for us to cooperate is simply our fear for our species to stop being. We tend to barricade ourselves when we feel safe, building fences around our homes, but when the chips are down we really exercise “Unus Pro Omnibus, Omnes Pro Uno”. This is what makes us prosper today and it is what has contributed to our success since beginning.