The view expressed by the above authors is that the essential requirement is to establish a framework for interactions between agents, which will guarantee that a good global outcome will be achieved by agents maximizing their local utility functions (self-interest). Baum suggests that the nature of this framework should be similar to the rules of capitalism: you need to protect “property”, ensure conservation of wealth (no agents can print money), etc.
Capitalist economists do love their competition. Do they really see this in the human brain? OK, there’s neural darwinism, but that’s hardly the basis of the day-to-day function of the brain. Rather, the brain works cooperatively—more like an ant colony, than a capitalist economy. The brain cells are all clones of each other. Why would they compete? They wouldn’t—and they don’t.
Capitalist economists do love their competition. Do they really see this in the human brain? OK, there’s neural darwinism, but that’s hardly the basis of the day-to-day function of the brain. Rather, the brain works cooperatively—more like an ant colony, than a capitalist economy. The brain cells are all clones of each other. Why would they compete? They wouldn’t—and they don’t.