A Cooperative Species: Human Reciprocity and Its Evolution - Hardcover

Bowles, Samuel; Gintis, Herbert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691151253 ISBN 13: 9780691151250

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2011

Synopsis

Why do humans, uniquely among animals, cooperate in large numbers to advance projects for the common good? Contrary to the conventional wisdom in biology and economics, this generous and civic-minded behavior is widespread and cannot be explained simply by far-sighted self-interest or a desire to help close genealogical kin.In A Cooperative Species, Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis--pioneers in the new experimental and evolutionary science of human behavior--show that the central issue is not why selfish people act generously, but instead how genetic and cultural evolution has produced a species in which substantial numbers make sacrifices to uphold ethical norms and to help even total strangers.The authors describe how, for thousands of generations, cooperation with fellow group members has been essential to survival. Groups that created institutions to protect the civic-minded from exploitation by the selfish flourished and prevailed in conflicts with less cooperative groups. Key to this process was the evolution of social emotions such as shame and guilt, and our capacity to internalize social norms so that acting ethically became a personal goal rather than simply a prudent way to avoid punishment.Using experimental, archaeological, genetic, and ethnographic data to calibrate models of the coevolution of genes and culture as well as prehistoric warfare and other forms of group competition, A Cooperative Species provides a compelling and novel account of how humans came to be moral and cooperative.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

"A Cooperative Species is a fresh and pioneering entry into the pivotal field of human social evolution."--Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University

"In A Cooperative Species, Bowles and Gintis draw on their own research and teaching about understanding the complex human being in the context of diverse ways of organizing life. They show that humans can evolve cooperative strategies when they participate in groups that share long-term similar norms and are willing to sanction those that do not follow group agreements. An important book for all social scientists."--Elinor Ostrom, Nobel Laureate in Economics

"Why we form cooperative societies is not hard to understand given all of the advantages we derive, but how we do it is far less understood. Humans have powerful selfish tendencies, but Bowles and Gintis are not of the school of thought that everything can be reduced to selfishness. They muster all of their expert knowledge to make clear that evolution has produced a species with a truly cooperative spirit and the means to encourage cooperation in others."--Frans de Waal, author of The Age of Empathy

"Bowles and Gintis stress that cooperation among individuals who are only distantly related is a critical distinguishing feature of the human species. They argue forcefully that the best explanation for such cooperation is altruism. Many will dispute this claim, but it deserves serious consideration."--Eric Maskin, Nobel Laureate in Economics

About the Author

Samuel Bowles pioneers in the new experimental and evolutionary science of human behavior. Gintis holds faculty positions at the Santa Fe Institute and Central European University. Bowles is Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0691151253
• ISBN 13: 9780691151250
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288