Zero-sum/Talk

The economics of a purely hunter/gatherer society have zero-sum properties because the supply of goods such as food is fixed by what nature has to offer. If one person suceeds in obtaining food, there is less food to go around for everyone else, so that one person's benefit implies a cost to others.

(I disagree. This assumes that the hunter/gatherers gather all of nature's resources. In truth they're in competition with other animals and even bacteria, and can collect more or better food via greater effort. --Belltower)

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I also disagree, if hunter-gatherers cooperate as a hunting pack they have more food per person than if they would hunt individually. I also think that this article should not be under 'Zero-sum' but under 'Zero-sum game' as the word is hardly used in any other context. You can then start the article with the more logical "A zero-sum game is a game where ..." -- JanHidders

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The comment about mating being zero sum is also not strictly accurate since many species allow multiple fathers. -- TedDunning

Genetically you can have only one father! (although now medicine has made two mothers possible.)

Yes, but it is possible for a single female to be bearing the offspring of more than one male at a single time. It's even happened with humans! Also, mating doesn't always lead to pregnancy, so multiple partners can increase the reproduction rate in the aggregate. --Belltower