Envy divides society
It's generally recognized that differences in background and education cement class differences. It is less clear when and under what circumstances individual psychological forces can drive an initially homogenous social group apart and ultimately divide it. Claudius Gros, professor for theoretical physics at Goethe University, investigated this question in a mathematical precise way using game theory methods. "In the study, societies of agents—acting individuals—are simulated within game theory, which means that everybody optimizes her/his success according to predetermined rules. I wanted to find out whether social differences can emerge on their own if no one starts off with advantages—that is, when all actors have the same skills and opportunity," the physicist explains.