ELIE and the Emotions Related to Social Recognition

Abstract

Does the ELIE system of redistribution always lead to positive social emotions and improve social recognition? Receiving a transfer in ELIE could be a sign that your social status is that of the less talented: even if you make the sacrifice of working more in order to contribute to the transfer, your productive capacities may have no market value. This could decrease the strength of the social bond. In order to avoid this, we need to be able to attach social recognition to the passive sacrifice implied in being less talented. One way is to relate this situation to the value for collective adaptability of a level of randomness in the distribution of talents. The redistribution procedure – the sacrifices of the more talented people – leaves the less talented people free to contribute or not by their work to their community, and their passive sacrifice is thereby changed into an active one. Social recognition can thus become mutual.