The altruism equation: seven scientists search for the origins of goodness
(eBook)
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Published:
Princeton : Princeton University Press, c2006.
Format:
eBook
Physical Desc:
xi, 188 pages : ill.
Status:
Ebrary (CCU)
Description
In a world supposedly governed by ruthless survival of the fittest, why do we see acts of goodness in both animals and humans? This problem plagued Charles Darwin in the 1850s as he developed his theory of evolution through natural selection. Indeed, Darwin worried that the goodness he observed in nature could be the Achilles heel of his theory. Ever since then, scientists and other thinkers have engaged in a fierce debate about the origins of goodness that has dragged politics, philosophy, and religion into what remains a major question for evolutionary biology. The Altruism Equation traces the history of this debate from Darwin to the present through an extraordinary cast of characters-from the Russian prince Petr Kropotkin, who wanted to base society on altruism, to the brilliant biologist George Price, who fell into poverty and succumbed to suicide as he obsessed over the problem. In a final surprising turn, William Hamilton, the scientist who came up with the equation that reduced altruism to the cold language of natural selection, desperately hoped that his theory did not apply to humans. Hamilton's Rule, which states that relatives are worth helping in direct proportion to their blood relatedness, is as fundamental to evolutionary biology as Newton's laws of motion are to physics. But even today, decades after its formulation, Hamilton's Rule is still hotly debated among those who cannot accept that goodness can be explained by a simple mathematical formula. For the first time, Lee Alan Dugatkin brings to life the people, the issues, and the passions that have surrounded the altruism debate. Readers will be swept along by this fast-paced tale of history, biography, and scientific discovery.
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APA Citation (style guide)
Dugatkin, L. A. (2006). The altruism equation: seven scientists search for the origins of goodness. Princeton, Princeton University Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Dugatkin, Lee Alan, 1962-. 2006. The Altruism Equation: Seven Scientists Search for the Origins of Goodness. Princeton, Princeton University Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Dugatkin, Lee Alan, 1962-, The Altruism Equation: Seven Scientists Search for the Origins of Goodness. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2006.
MLA Citation (style guide)Dugatkin, Lee Alan. The Altruism Equation: Seven Scientists Search for the Origins of Goodness. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2006.
Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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Language:
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-183) and index.
Reproduction
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest, 2015. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest affiliated libraries.
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Grouped Work ID:
5e943377-362c-ed5b-11f2-4b79a7bfc0e6
Record Information
Last File Modification Time | Jan 04, 2024 04:53:22 PM |
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Last Grouped Work Modification Time | May 07, 2024 08:57:32 PM |
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533 | |a Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest, 2015. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest affiliated libraries. | ||
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