The Genetics Of Altruism

Download The Genetics Of Altruism full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online The Genetics Of Altruism ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

The Genetics Of Altruism

Author : Scott Boorman
Publisher : Elsevier
ISBN 13 : 0323148859
Total Pages : 480 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (231 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Genetics Of Altruism by : Scott Boorman

Download or read book The Genetics Of Altruism written by Scott Boorman and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Genetics of Altruism covers the primary findings on social evolution, social trait, and altruism from a population genetics standpoint to establish a system of genetic boxes. It presents an evolutionary question with two faces: Why are there so many social species? Why, in all the diversity of the animal kingdom, are the social species so few? To address the evolutionary question, this book focuses on recognition of the fact that on an evolutionary time, scale genetics must underlie all changes in the capacity for social structure and other aspects of organic evolution. It presents comparative analyses framed in mathematical terms; mathematical concepts as a means of getting outside human, perhaps more generally primate and carnivore; frames of reference; and alternative network combinatorics as a natural basis for comparing social structures that are phylogenetically remote. It also discusses the comparative biology of social behavior on a purely descriptive basis through the social and evolutionary structures emergent. The book concludes by discussing major evolutionary pathways, various kinds of preadaptedness for sociality, and the use of cascade principle to suggest ways in which human evolution may have been a special case. This book is a valuable resource for biologists, social scientists, researchers, students, and all those who want to broaden their knowledge in the field of social behavior and altruism.

The Selfish Gene

Author : Richard Dawkins
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 9780192860927
Total Pages : 372 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (69 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Selfish Gene by : Richard Dawkins

Download or read book The Selfish Gene written by Richard Dawkins and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1989 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science need not be dull and bogged down by jargon, as Richard Dawkins proves in this entertaining look at evolution. The themes he takes up are the concepts of altruistic and selfish behaviour; the genetical definition of selfish interest; the evolution of aggressive behaviour; kinshiptheory; sex ratio theory; reciprocal altruism; deceit; and the natural selection of sex differences. 'Should be read, can be read by almost anyone. It describes with great skill a new face of the theory of evolution.' W.D. Hamilton, Science

The Selfish Gene

Author : Richard Dawkins
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Selfish Gene by : Richard Dawkins

Download or read book The Selfish Gene written by Richard Dawkins and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1978 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As influential today as when it was first published, The Selfish Gene has become a classic exposition of evolutionary thought. Professor Dawkins articulates a gene's eye view of evolution - a view giving centre stage to these persistent units of information, and in which organisms can be seen as vehicles for their replication. This imaginative, powerful, and stylistically brilliant work not only brought the insights of Neo-Darwinism to a wide audience, but galvanized the biology community, generating much debate and stimulating whole new areas of research.

The Price of Altruism: George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness

Author : Oren Harman
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393339998
Total Pages : 462 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (933 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Price of Altruism: George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness by : Oren Harman

Download or read book The Price of Altruism: George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness written by Oren Harman and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2011-06-20 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes the intellectual journey of eccentric American genius George Price, who tried to answer the evolutionary riddle of why people are nice, and eventually gave away all his belongings and took his own life in a squatter's flat.

Origins of Altruism and Cooperation

Author : Robert W. Sussman
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 144199520X
Total Pages : 433 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (419 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Origins of Altruism and Cooperation by : Robert W. Sussman

Download or read book Origins of Altruism and Cooperation written by Robert W. Sussman and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-08-02 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about the evolution and nature of cooperation and altruism in social-living animals, focusing especially on non-human primates and on humans. Although cooperation and altruism are often thought of as ways to attenuate competition and aggression within groups, or are related to the action of “selfish genes”, there is increasing evidence that these behaviors are the result of biological mechanisms that have developed through natural selection in group-living species. This evidence leads to the conclusion that cooperative and altruistic behavior are not just by-products of competition but are rather the glue that underlies the ability for primates and humans to live in groups. The anthropological, primatological, paleontological, behavioral, neurobiological, and psychological evidence provided in this book gives a more optimistic view of human nature than the more popular, conventional view of humans being naturally and basically aggressive and warlike. Although competition and aggression are recognized as an important part of the non-human primate and human behavioral repertoire, the evidence from these fields indicates that cooperation and altruism may represent the more typical, “normal”, and healthy behavioral pattern. The book is intended both for the general reader and also for students at a variety of levels (graduate and undergraduate): it aims to provide a compact, accessible, and up-to-date account of the current scholarly advances and debates in this field of study, and it is designed to be used in teaching and in discussion groups. The book derived from a conference sponsored by N.S.F., the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, the Washington University Committee for Ethics and Human Values, and the Anthropedia Foundation for the study of well-being.

Does Altruism Exist?

Author : David Sloan Wilson
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300189494
Total Pages : 190 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (1 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Does Altruism Exist? by : David Sloan Wilson

Download or read book Does Altruism Exist? written by David Sloan Wilson and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2015-01-01 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Argues that altruism is an inherent factor of group functionality and discusses how studying group function can promote positive changes to the human condition.

The Society of Genes

Author : Itai Yanai
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674425022
Total Pages : 295 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (744 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Society of Genes by : Itai Yanai

Download or read book The Society of Genes written by Itai Yanai and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2016-01-11 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly four decades ago Richard Dawkins published The Selfish Gene, famously reducing humans to “survival machines” whose sole purpose was to preserve “the selfish molecules known as genes.” How these selfish genes work together to construct the organism, however, remained a mystery. Standing atop a wealth of new research, The Society of Genes now provides a vision of how genes cooperate and compete in the struggle for life. Pioneers in the nascent field of systems biology, Itai Yanai and Martin Lercher present a compelling new framework to understand how the human genome evolved and why understanding the interactions among our genes shifts the basic paradigm of modern biology. Contrary to what Dawkins’s popular metaphor seems to imply, the genome is not made of individual genes that focus solely on their own survival. Instead, our genomes comprise a society of genes which, like human societies, is composed of members that form alliances and rivalries. In language accessible to lay readers, The Society of Genes uncovers genetic strategies of cooperation and competition at biological scales ranging from individual cells to entire species. It captures the way the genome works in cancer cells and Neanderthals, in sexual reproduction and the origin of life, always underscoring one critical point: that only by putting the interactions among genes at center stage can we appreciate the logic of life.

Does Altruism Exist?

Author : David Sloan Wilson
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300206755
Total Pages : 190 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Does Altruism Exist? by : David Sloan Wilson

Download or read book Does Altruism Exist? written by David Sloan Wilson and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2015-03-01 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Sloan Wilson, one of the world’s leading evolutionists, addresses a question that has puzzled philosophers, psychologists, and evolutionary biologists for centuries: Does altruism exist naturally among the Earth’s creatures? The key to understanding the existence of altruism, Wilson argues, is by understanding the role it plays in the social organization of groups. Groups that function like organisms indubitably exist, and organisms evolved from groups. Evolutionists largely agree on how functionally organized groups evolve, ending decades of controversy, but the resolution casts altruism in a new light: altruism exists but shouldn’t necessarily occupy center stage in our understanding of social behavior. After laying a general theoretical foundation, Wilson surveys altruism and group-level functional organization in our own species—in religion, in economics, and in the rest of everyday life. He shows that altruism is not categorically good and can have pathological consequences. Finally, he shows how a social theory that goes beyond altruism by focusing on group function can help to improve the human condition in a practical sense. Does Altruism Exist? puts old controversies to rest and will become the center of debate for decades to come.

The Selfless Gene

Author : Charles Foster
Publisher : Thomas Nelson
ISBN 13 : 1418584134
Total Pages : 302 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (185 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Selfless Gene by : Charles Foster

Download or read book The Selfless Gene written by Charles Foster and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2010-02-01 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If evolutionary theory is correct, what does that say about creator God? Ever since the famous debate on Darwinism between Huxley and Wilberforce in 1860, there has been little real conversation between the scientific community and much of the Christian world. This book offers the prospect of reconciliation between what are seen as two opposing worldviews. With remarkable insight and skill, Foster shows that most evolutionary theory and its consequences are easily reconciled with Christian orthodoxy and explores the ethical problems of natural selection in a fresh and invigorating way. Charles Foster insists on getting to the heart of the topic and succeeds through a scientific and biblical analysis that is second to none. The Selfless Gene has the potential to become required reading for theologians and laypeople alike.

SuperCooperators

Author : Martin Nowak
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1451626630
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (516 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis SuperCooperators by : Martin Nowak

Download or read book SuperCooperators written by Martin Nowak and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-03-27 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Looks at the importance of cooperation in human beings and in nature, arguing that this social tool is as important an aspect of evolution as mutation and natural selection.

Kindness In A Cruel World

Author : Nigel Barber
Publisher : Prometheus Books
ISBN 13 : 1615924809
Total Pages : 415 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (159 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Kindness In A Cruel World by : Nigel Barber

Download or read book Kindness In A Cruel World written by Nigel Barber and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2010-10-04 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What do mutual grooming, politeness, priestly celibacy, military heroism, car insurance, and overwork have in common? All are probable examples of the recently discovered evolutionary mechanism called "reciprocal altruism." Put simply, the concept means, "You scratch my back and I''ll scratch yours." Although rare in animals, reciprocal altruism colors much of human emotion and social behavior. Over the course of our evolutionary history we humans have developed a great variety of social contracts ranging from food-sharing among hunter-gatherers to observing the rules of the road in contemporary society. In a lively, fascinating discussion that explores the behaviors of bees, bats, and humans in various normal and deviant social settings evolutionary psychologist Nigel Barber explains the evolutionary basis of these wide-ranging phenomena.Beginning with Darwin''s theory, Barber shows how the original notion of a dog-eat-dog world where survival of the fittest is the only rule must now be modified by the new findings on altruism. In bees, for example, the workers evolve without reproductive ability and exist only for the good of the hive and the propagation of the queen bee''s genes. In addition, vampire bats will spontaneously share food through regurgitation, evidently so that the favor will be returned when food sources are scarce.In humans, reciprocal arrangements depend on trust, so moral emotions, like guilt, embarrassment, resentment, and pride, have evolved to guard against the temptation to cheat, which would destroy the basis of trust on which so much depends. The evolution of such emotions may also lead to exceptionally self-sacrificial behavior in some individuals, whether this takes the form of priestly celibacy, a soldier jumping on a hand grenade to save his buddies, or the donation of a kidney. Barber brings the revealing insights of evolutionary psychology to these examples and more, and delves into related issues including sex differences in kindness, new approaches to rehabilitating criminals, the connection of kindness to health, and the political manifestations of altruism in the environmental movement.Full of stimulating ideas expressed in lucid prose, Kindness in a Cruel World presents a compelling case that the desire to help others and the spirit of cooperation are fundamental to our human evolutionary inheritance.

Social Evolution in Ants

Author : Andrew F.G. Bourke
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691044260
Total Pages : 543 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Social Evolution in Ants by : Andrew F.G. Bourke

Download or read book Social Evolution in Ants written by Andrew F.G. Bourke and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1995-11-05 with total page 543 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biologists have long been intrigued and confounded by the complex issues in the evolution and ecology of the social behaviour of insects. The self-sacrifice of sterile workers in ant colonies has been particularly difficult for evolutionary biologists to explain. This text presents an overview of the current state of scientific knowledge about social evolution in ants and shows how studies on ants have contributed to an understanding of many fundamental topics in behavioural ecology and evolutionary biology.

Pathological Altruism

Author : Barbara Oakley
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199876347
Total Pages : 494 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (998 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Pathological Altruism by : Barbara Oakley

Download or read book Pathological Altruism written by Barbara Oakley and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-09-19 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The benefits of altruism and empathy are obvious. These qualities are so highly regarded and embedded in both secular and religious societies that it seems almost heretical to suggest they can cause harm. Like most good things, however, altruism can be distorted or taken to an unhealthy extreme. Pathological Altruism presents a number of new, thought-provoking theses that explore a range of hurtful effects of altruism and empathy. Pathologies of empathy, for example, may trigger depression as well as the burnout seen in healthcare professionals. The selflessness of patients with eating abnormalities forms an important aspect of those disorders. Hyperempathy - an excess of concern for what others think and how they feel - helps explain popular but poorly defined concepts such as codependency. In fact, pathological altruism, in the form of an unhealthy focus on others to the detriment of one's own needs, may underpin some personality disorders. Pathologies of altruism and empathy not only underlie health issues, but also a disparate slew of humankind's most troubled features, including genocide, suicide bombing, self-righteous political partisanship, and ineffective philanthropic and social programs that ultimately worsen the situations they are meant to aid. Pathological Altruism is a groundbreaking new book - the first to explore the negative aspects of altruism and empathy, seemingly uniformly positive traits. The contributing authors provide a scientific, social, and cultural foundation for the subject of pathological altruism, creating a new field of inquiry. Each author's approach points to one disturbing truth: what we value so much, the altruistic "good" side of human nature, can also have a dark side that we ignore at our peril.

The Altruistic Brain

Author : Donald W. Pfaff
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0199377464
Total Pages : 313 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (993 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Altruistic Brain by : Donald W. Pfaff

Download or read book The Altruistic Brain written by Donald W. Pfaff and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Unlike any other study in its field, The Altruistic Brain synthesizes into one theory the most important research into how and why - by purely physical mechanisms - humans empathize with one another and respond altruistically."--Jacket.

The Getic Basis of (group-directed) Altruism

Author : Brian Croxford
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 124 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (125 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Getic Basis of (group-directed) Altruism by : Brian Croxford

Download or read book The Getic Basis of (group-directed) Altruism written by Brian Croxford and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Very young children voluntarily share with others. Such early emergence of altruistic behaviours in early development suggests possible biological mechanisms. The neuropeptide oxytocin is well known for playing a role in social affiliation and has been shown to influence prosocial behaviours in adults. Sparse research has been conducted on how the gene for the oxytocin receptor influences prosocial behaviour and altruism in young children. Interestingly, oxytocin’s effects on prosocial behaviour has been shown to be bounded within social groups, enhancing ingroup bias. Much of the research has been conducted on adults, again with sparse research conducted on oxytocin’s effects on ingroup bias earlier in development. Thus, there is an obvious space to conduct novel research into how the oxytocin receptor gene influences ingroup biases in young children. The present research investigates how the OXTR gene influences children’s altruistic sharing at 3-years of age, and children’s ingroup biases at 4-years of age by analysing data from 152 children involved in the Origins of Cooperative Actions longitudinal study. Children’s OXTR gene (rs53576) was sequenced when they were infants and altruistic sharing was measured when they were 3- and 4-years of age using the Dictator Game (DG). During the 4-year old session, children were placed into minimal groups (yellow versus green) before playing the DG. Analyses revealed that the OXTR gene did not influence how many stickers children shared at 3-years of age, nor did it have any significant interactive effect with minimal groups on altruistic sharing at 4-years of age. However, children with the GG genotype were significantly more likely to give their first stickers to others, instead of themselves. Boys were also shown to be significantly more likely to give their first stickers to others than girls. Lastly, girls shared significantly more stickers with ingroup members than boys. These finding provide evidence suggesting that OXTR gene may not enhance overall generosity of altruistic sharing, but may motivate children to consider others first in their actions.

Unto Others

Author : Elliott Sober
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674256808
Total Pages : 426 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (742 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Unto Others by : Elliott Sober

Download or read book Unto Others written by Elliott Sober and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1999-10-01 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No matter what we do, however kind or generous our deeds may seem, a hidden motive of selfishness lurks--or so science has claimed for years. This book, whose publication promises to be a major scientific event, tells us differently. In Unto Others philosopher Elliott Sober and biologist David Sloan Wilson demonstrate once and for all that unselfish behavior is in fact an important feature of both biological and human nature. Their book provides a panoramic view of altruism throughout the animal kingdom--from self-sacrificing parasites to insects that subsume themselves in the superorganism of a colony to the human capacity for selflessness--even as it explains the evolutionary sense of such behavior. Explaining how altruistic behavior can evolve by natural selection, this book finally gives credence to the idea of group selection that was originally proposed by Darwin but denounced as heretical in the 1960s. With their account of this controversy, Sober and Wilson offer a detailed case study of scientific change as well as an indisputable argument for group selection as a legitimate theory in evolutionary biology. Unto Others also takes a novel evolutionary approach in explaining the ultimate psychological motives behind unselfish human behavior. Developing a theory of the proximate mechanisms that most likely evolved to motivate adaptive helping behavior, Sober and Wilson show how people and perhaps other species evolved the capacity to care for others as a goal in itself. A truly interdisciplinary work that blends biology, philosophy, psychology, and anthropology, this book will permanently change not just our view of selfless behavior but also our understanding of many issues in evolutionary biology and the social sciences.

The Invisible Matrix

Author : Andrew Jennings
Publisher : Asha John
ISBN 13 : 1411693779
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (116 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Invisible Matrix by : Andrew Jennings

Download or read book The Invisible Matrix written by Andrew Jennings and published by Asha John. This book was released on 2006 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why did we evolve to be altruistic? Why did we evolve to value a society of equals? How did we become capable of culture? For the first time promising clues to these puzzles are emerging from an unexpected field - computer science. Delicate living systems and bulky computers, according to a growing body of research, are both information systems engaged in the storage, transmission, and processing of information. This shared characteristic of life systems and our information technology devices gives us an opportunity to study human evolution using concepts from computer science. Such analysis points to the existence of an important 'invisible' adaptation in human beings. This 'invisible' adaptation is the reason we evolved to be cultural beings, who are altruistic, who value equality, and our aging elders. www.altruism-evolution.com