The Information Chain Theory of Cooperation

The information chain theory of cooperation is a new theory based on a new paradigm making use of many concepts from classical & contemporary social theorists. The dependent variable of the theory is the degree of wealth & freedom vs poverty & death found in human groups. This variable is explained by the scale of cooperation a group is able to achieve & maintain. The scale of cooperation, in turn, depends on six independent variables: symbols, centrality, codification, technology, motivation, & population. Comparative international data are used to test these relationships. The paradigm on which the theory is based identifies the two problems of large-scale cooperation as: (1) reducing the rate of information entropy, or disintegration, as messages are passed from person to person, & (2) reducing the volume, or quantity, of information that must be communicated among people as the scale of cooperation enlarges. Each independent variable of the information chain theory affects the scale of cooperation through its effects on these two problems. 5 Tables, 9 Figures, 52 References. HA