Toward a Theory of Social Cooperation under the Division of Labor

This talk focuses on (1) the puzzle of cooperation in anonymity that the “Great Society” forces us to address; (2) how, in the process of solving that puzzle, we turn strangers into friends through relationships of exchange—often bridging great social distance as well as physical distance; (3) that, while exchange often overcomes social distance, it is this social distance that represents rather “sharp objects” in our interactions and can, unless dulled, result in mortal wounds—and so our mores, norms, practices, and institutions must work to mitigate that outcome; and (4) why I believe that this leads to a renewed defense of the cosmopolitan liberal order in political economy.

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