Supercooperators: The Mathematics of Evolution, Altruism and Human Behaviour, (Or, Why We Need Each Other to Succeed) - Hardcover

M. A. Nowak

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847673368 ISBN 13: 9781847673367

Publisher: Canongate Books, 2011

Synopsis

Everyone is familiar with Darwin's revolutionary idea about the survival of the fittest, and most people agree that it works, but Darwin's famous theory has one major chink. If life is about survival of the fittest, then why would we risk our own life to jump into a river to save a stranger? Some people argue that issues such as charity, fairness, forgiveness and cooperation are evolutionary loose ends, side issues that are of little consequence. But as Harvard's celebrated evolutionary biologist Martin Nowak explains in this ground-breaking book, cooperation is central to the four-billion-year-old puzzle of life. Cooperation is fundamental to how molecules in the primordial soup crossed the watershed that separates dead chemistry from biochemistry. Cooperation is the key to understanding why language evolved, an event that is as significant as the evolution of the first primitive organism. The book also brings to light Nowak's game-changing work on disease. Cancer is fundamentally a failure of the body's cells to cooperate but organs are cleverly designed to foster cooperation and, as Nowak explains, this new understanding can be used in novel cancer treatments. In his first book for a wide audience, this hugely influential scientist explains his cutting-edge research into the mysteries of cooperation, from the rise of multicellular life to Good Samaritans. With wit and clarity, Martin Nowak and the bestselling science writer Roger Highfield make the case that cooperation, not competition, is the defining human trait. Supercooperators will expand our understanding of evolution and human behaviour, and provoke debate for years to come.

About this title

About the Author

Martin Nowak is Professor of Biology and Mathematics at Harvard University. Dr Nowak is the recipient of Oxford's Weldon Memorial Prize, the Albert Wander Prize of the University of Bern, the Akira Okubo Prize of the Society for Mathematical Biology, the Roger E. Murray Prize awarded by the Institute for Quantitative Research in Finance, the David Starr Jordan Prize given jointly by Stanford, Cornell, and Indiana universities, and the Henry Dale Prize of The Royal Institution, London. He has held major research posts and teaching posts at Oxford University, Princeton University and now Harvard University. He has published over 300 papers and has been widely praised for revolutionizing the mathematical approach to biology. Roger Highfield, PhD, is the Editor of New Scientist magazine and was the Science Editor of the Daily Telegraph for two decades. He has written or coauthored six popular science books, two of which have been bestsellers. www.rogerhighfield.com

Review

Martin has a passion for taking informal ideas that people like me find theoretically important and framing them as mathematical models. He allows our intuitions about what leads to what to be put to the test. -- STEVEN PINKER * * The New York Times * * A fantastic journey into the science of cooperation, with important implications for both individuals and society alike. -- Richard Wiseman, bestselling author of 59 SECONDS Supercooperators looks beyond The Selfish Gene and invites us to think afresh about evolution. Contrary to the simplistic idea that selfishness is the only strategy for survival, the brilliant Martin Nowak proves that cooperation is also vitally important. This rich and rewarding book teems with new ideas and insights, which co-author Roger Highfield makes wonderfully lucid and entertaining. -- Graham Farmelo, winner of the Costa Biography Award Groundbreaking . . . SuperCooperators is part autobiography, part textbook, and reads like a best-selling novel. -- Manfred Milinski * * Nature * * Unlike many general audience science books, this one delivers on its promise of providing an interesting and entertaining tour through the complexities of natural selection and the hard science behind the human behaviour. * * Irish Times * * An absorbing, accessible book about the power of mathematics... Nowak is one of the most exciting modelers working in the field of mathematical biology today. * * New York Times Book Review * * The nexus of evolutionary biology, game theory and neuroscience provides the most exciting avenue, and this book is an excellent example of the genre...all politicians can draw inspiration and ideas from the intellectual resources of this exciting approach. -- David Willetts * * Financial Times * * Stimulating...the combination [of Nowak and Highfield] works magnificently well. ... The book is highly readable, and it's an enthralling piece of work. -- David Erdal * * Scotsman * *

Edition details

• Publisher: Canongate Books
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1847673368
• ISBN 13: 9781847673367
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288