More than Kin and Less than Kind: The Evolution of Family Conflict - Hardcover

Mock, Douglas W.

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9780674012851: More than Kin and Less than Kind: The Evolution of Family Conflict
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0674012852 ISBN 13: 9780674012851
Publisher: Belknap Press, 2004

Synopsis

Sibling rivalry and intergenerational conflict are not limited to human beings. Among seals and piglets, storks and burying beetles, in bird nests and beehives, from apples to humans, family conflicts can be deadly serious, determining who will survive and who will perish. When offspring compete for scarce resources, sibling rivalry kicks in automatically. Parents sometime play favorites or even kill their young. In More Than Kin and Less Than Kind, Douglas Mock tells us what scientists have discovered about this disturbing side of family dynamics in the natural world.

Natural selection operates primarily for the benefit of individuals (and their genes). Thus a family member may profit directly, by producing its own offspring, or indirectly, by helping close kin to reproduce. Much of the biology of family behavior rests on a simple mathematical relationship called Hamilton's rule, which links the benefits and costs of seemingly altruistic or selfish behavior to the degree of relatedness between individuals.

Blending natural history and theoretical biology, Mock shows how Hamilton's rule illuminates the study of family strife by throwing a spotlight on the two powerful forces--cooperation and competition--that shape all interaction in the family arena. In More Than Kin and Less Than Kind, he offers a rare perspective on the family as testing ground for the evolutionary limits of selfishness. When budgets are tight, close kin are often deadly rivals.

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About the Author

Douglas W. Mock is Professor in the Department of Zoology at University of Oklahoma. He is the coauthor of The Evolution of Sibling Rivalry.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

http://www.hup.harvard.edu/pdf/MOCMOR.pdf

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Publisher
Belknap Press
Publication date
2004
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0674012852
ISBN 13 
9780674012851
Binding
Hardcover
Edition number
1
Number of pages
288
Rating
  • 4.43 out of 5 stars
    7 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780674022485: More than Kin and Less than Kind: The Evolution of Family Conflict

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0674022483 ISBN 13:  9780674022485
Publisher: Belknap Press: An Imprint of Har..., 2006
Softcover