Abstract :
The biological realm is replete with both intra- specific and interspecific cooperative groups for defense, hunting, or resource allocations. Social insects such as ants, bees, and termites do it; lichens, legumes, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, grasses, and endophytes do it; herds of bisons, lions, and chimpanzees do it; even religious and social human beings do it. In each of these cases, there has had to be some major cost to the individual organism for the group as a whole to thrive. When belonging to a group that conveys significant advantage (usually, survival or reproductive advantages) to its members, there must be some substantial cost to join the group, some personal sacrifice that must be made, or the group membership advantages are likely to be diluted by members who use the benefits but do not contribute to the group´s well being. What does all this have to do with biological groups and personal sacrifice for membership? It seems to the author that there is a close parallel here. There are a few choices left. If it is not too late for the community to survive, then the high costs of membership will soon have to be extracted. If not, then the euro, as it now exists, is history. That´s biology, but it´s also economics.
