In this blog post, we take an in-depth look at the value of altruistic behavior and the reasons for living properly within a community through the issue of free riding.
These days, free riding on group assignments at universities is a hot topic on the internet and social media. Most people have been harmed by free riders and are expressing their dissatisfaction. Those who have been harmed are discussing effective ways to punish free riders and considering appropriate measures. Some are even coming up with ways to get back at free riders or harm them in return. As such, the seriousness of people who harm others is becoming a major issue. Furthermore, this problem is not limited to conflicts between individuals, but also has a negative impact on the overall learning environment and community atmosphere. Free riding not only destroys trust among students, but also undermines the values of cooperation and mutual learning, which are the fundamental goals of university education.
In this article, we will look at other behaviors that harm others, including free riding on group assignments, and consider ways to prevent them. Furthermore, we will explore the reasons why we should live right.
There are many people who free ride. So, what kind of people free ride? There are two types. First, due to the nature of group assignments, which are done by a large number of people, there are those who think that even if they don’t do it, someone else will. When working on group assignments, there are naturally people who take the lead, and those people are willing to sacrifice a little of themselves to make the group assignment effective. However, some people think that those people will do all the work, so they do not participate, which leads to free riding. The second type of person is someone who does not value grades from the outset and thinks that whatever happens will happen. These people think that they do not need to participate in the assignment.
I don’t think there is any way to prevent this type of person from free riding. Let’s say there is a punishment for free riding on group assignments. The punishment for such behavior would be nothing more than a low grade. There is no punishment greater than that for free riding. However, these people would have free ridden because they already place minimal value on the course and the grade. Therefore, punishment using grades will not be effective. Ultimately, the only way to prevent free riding is to change the minds of those who want to do so.
In addition, an educational approach that increases individual responsibility is also necessary to solve the problem of free riding. As college students who are learning academics, self-directed learning and responsible behavior are essential. It is necessary to emphasize these values in the educational process and introduce programs that enable students to become aware of their roles and responsibilities not only in group assignments but also in various learning activities. It is also important for schools to show a proactive attitude toward solving the free rider problem. Faculty and school authorities should provide clear guidelines on the free rider problem and establish a channel through which affected students can formally raise the issue.
One method is to give high grades to those who do well in group assignments and low grades to those who do not. This method may provide a small reward to those who participate diligently in group assignments, but they will have had to do more work because of those who free ride. However, this will not fundamentally solve the problem of free riding.
So, conversely, why don’t people free ride? First, when the subject and the credits are of great value to the person, they will not free ride. However, even when this is not the case, people do not free ride. Even when free riding saves time and there is nothing to lose, people do not free ride. The reason is probably because they have been taught through education that free riding is wrong. Free riding is harmful to others and is therefore wrong. Therefore, people who have been taught that it is important not to do wrong will not free ride without much hesitation. In other words, the most fundamental solution would be to inform fare dodgers of valid reasons why they should not fare dodge and change their minds so that they will not fare dodge. Valid reasons would be to inform people who want to gain more benefits for themselves that living righteously will ultimately bring them the greatest benefits.
It is also necessary to emphasize the various advantages that can be gained by not free riding. Participating sincerely in group projects is not only a way to earn credits, but also an opportunity to improve collaboration and communication skills. These skills can be a great asset when entering society and will bring greater benefits in the long run. In particular, the experience of cooperation gained in college plays a very important role in social life. Society is not a place where everything can be solved alone, and greater achievements can be made through cooperation with others. Therefore, avoiding free riding and actively participating in assignments is like investing in your future self.
So, what are the reasons for not free riding, or in other words, why should we live right? First, living right has a broader meaning than simply obeying the law. It includes giving up your seat to elderly people on the subway, politely apologizing when you make a mistake, and not saying aggressive things to others. It also means not doing anything that harms others. However, as mentioned above, doing the right thing or not harming others may result in a loss for oneself. It may result in a loss of profit or time or money. However, most people do the right thing.
The reason for this can be found in group selection theory. Group selection theory states that groups of people who engage in altruistic behavior will ultimately survive. Altruistic behavior can be considered correct behavior. Let’s look at an example. In the past, there were many wars between tribes and between countries. So which groups survived? Naturally, the groups with many altruistic people survived. Being altruistic means being willing to sacrifice oneself in war, which means that the group has many strong and brave warriors. From today’s perspective, this may seem like an extreme example. Let’s look at a more realistic example. Suppose a group of people gather to play soccer. And suppose that everyone has an aggressive tendency when playing soccer. Soccer is a team sport in which one team competes against another. To win a soccer game, you have to score goals. In soccer, scoring a goal is the most joyful thing for anyone. However, if everyone thinks they have to score a goal, the team will lose. In order to win a game, someone has to defend, and someone has to be the goalkeeper. Even if you want to score a goal, it is important to pass the ball to a teammate who is in a better position to score. Ultimately, a team with more altruistic players is more likely to win. Conversely, in a group with many selfish people, the group will lose because of the selfish actions of the majority. Furthermore, even those who were altruistic in that group will no longer behave altruistically, which means that the group will decline, collapse, and disappear.
If this group expands, it will become the community of an entire university, the community of an entire country, and ultimately the community of all humanity. It is clear that the more altruistic people there are in a community, the more likely that community is to survive and thrive. For this reason, the importance of altruistic behavior is taught and promoted from an early age in the home and at school. People who free ride on group assignments probably think that free riding is more beneficial to themselves, and that is why they behave that way. They do not realize that such behavior weakens and destroys the group to which they belong. They do not realize that it will ultimately cause them greater harm. No one would behave in an inappropriate manner if they knew this. This happens because everyone mistakenly believes that wrong behavior is more beneficial to them than right behavior. Ultimately, humans seek to act in ways that benefit themselves and make them happy. That behavior is the right way to live.
In other words, doing the right thing benefits oneself. Of course, in a narrow sense, there may be actions that benefit others but are detrimental to oneself, but if we look at these actions in a broader sense, they benefit the society to which the person belongs, and this ultimately returns to the person as a greater benefit.
Ultimately, everyone has a reason to live right. The reason is that by living correctly, everyone can be happy. Ultimately, this is also the reason why we should not take advantage of others. In order to be happy, we must not take advantage of others. We have all done something wrong in order to avoid immediate gains or losses. In such situations in the future, I recommend that you do the right thing for your ultimate happiness.
