Program & Abstract Book - EPFL Latsis Symposium 2009

EPFL Latsis Symposium 2009: Understanding Violence
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Abstracts for Speakers
ba l a n c i n g r i s k s a n D r e w a r D s: t h e l o g i c
o f v i o l e n c e
Broom, Mark
Department of Mathematics University of Sussex, UK
The use of violence is widespread throughout the natural world, prominent
examples being predatory violence between species, seasonal violent competition
for mating rights and territories within species and competition for
food both within and between species. These interactions are generally between
unrelated individuals with no social connection. There are, however,
also examples of violent behaviour which occurs within groups of individuals
who otherwise cooperate to live, have significant social bonds and may
also be related, and that is the primary focus of this talk. Examples are in
the establishment and maintenance of dominance hierarchies, or in infanticide,
where (usually) incoming males attempt to kill existing infants in a
group. Such violence can at first sight seem paradoxical, but in fact is often
perfectly logical from the perspective of the individual perpetrating the
violence, as distinct from the group as a whole. We discuss such situations
from the point of view of evolutionary game theory, and also touch on wider
questions of intraspecific violence in general.
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