Primary text & editorial annotation · Chapter 04 · pp. 41–50
Human beings as adaptable and cooperative
We become what we practise together.
People are neither immutably selfish nor automatically solidaristic. Which possibilities emerge depends decisively on the behaviours a society rewards and practises.
Open original at page 41 ↗Human nature
Cooperation is a real human possibility.
Evolution, history and everyday life show that mutual aid is central to human survival. Deluism does not romanticise humanity: selfishness and violence are possible, but they are not the only or inevitable results of human nature.
Structure
Incentives activate different sides of us.
Competition, insecurity and hierarchy foster mistrust. Communication, fairness and shared responsibility favour solidaristic behaviour. Institutions are therefore never neutral: every day they train how people understand themselves and others.
Design
A cooperative society builds in trust.
Cooperatives, commonly governed resources, citizens’ assemblies and cooperative education connect participation with responsibility. Solidarity becomes not merely a moral demand, but a practical and effective way of organising life.
Critical examination
Does a cooperative view of humanity underestimate selfishness, conflict and strategic behaviour?
Deluism does not assume natural goodness. It builds on human capacity to learn and combines trust with transparency, rights and reviewable rules.