Shall we kill or enslave caesar? Analyzing the caesar model

Abstract

When a society overthrows a ruler – call the ruler Caesar – what determines whether Caesar is killed or enslaved? This chapter presents a model of killing versus enslaving Caesar, based on a new theory which unifies justice, status, and power. The model pertains to societies which value ordinal goods like bravery, yielding predictions for three of the five types of societies – justice-nonmaterialistic, status, and power-nonmaterialistic. Results cover members’ gains, effects of own rank and group size, and relative gains from killing or enslaving Caesar. Further results suggest that Caesar will be killed only in a justice-nonmaterialistic society, and from the noblest of motives – to achieve equal gains for members.

Citation

Jasso, G. (2008), "Shall we kill or enslave caesar? Analyzing the caesar model", Hegtvedt, K.A. and Clay-Warner, J. (Ed.) Justice (Advances in Group Processes, Vol. 25), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 327-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0882-6145(08)25009-5