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It is an interesting article but it completely glosses over the fact that not everything is non-zero sum and that differential costs can and do exist. The basis of this is entity-hood, and it applies not only to groups but also to individuals, corporations, etc. In fact, it applies to plants and animals also.

As this is all evolved, it's nearly impossible to separate the inclination from its effects. When humans have equal access to physical resources, they seek status and status as resources because it is a way of assuring physical and other resources in an uncertain environment.

All entities that persist have some process which enables that persistence: self and group interest are long-term evolved responses. We can see them as problematic, but it's actually very important that they exist. Since entities can defect in a game-theoretic sense, existence is not assured. It's nice when you are Ukraine, for instance, to be able to have the urge to promote unequal access to arms (a resource) or international attention to ensure your survival. Without this urge, there is trouble.

Carrying this back to something more local, in a family, attention-envy can happen among siblings because parental attention is not infinite. The non-zero sum model ignores these realities.



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