Cooperating socially

Examples from biology and economics show that there are all sorts of ways to make the individual interest concordant with the collective -- so long as we recognize the need to.

Application of game theories show that where cooperation among individuals does evolve, it does so through tit-for-tat. A cautious exchange of favours enables trust to be built upon a scaffolding of individual reward. Cooperation can then emerge. The collective interest can be served by the pursuit of selfish interests.

Societies are sums of their individuals, each acting in rational self interest, and policies that assume otherwise are doomed. This is why it is so hard to make a communist ideal work.