Selfish Genes to Social Beings

The world may seem brutish and selfish, but Jonathan Silvertown's Selfish Genes to Social Beings celebrates the evolutionary virtues of cooperation. A leading ecologist and evolutionary biologist, Silvertown weaves together science, history, literature, and storytelling to sing the praises of cooperation. Written with warmth and wit, this book provides a much-needed antidote to the unfair stereotype of nature, red in tooth and claw. * Steve Brusatte, Author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs *
For long, the dominant explanation for the evolution of life has been that change came about as a result of 'ruthless competition'. But there were always voices arguing that cooperation, not just competition, was the motor of change. Cooperative behaviour has now been observed in organisms from microbes to plants and humans, all empowered by those famous selfish genes. We are in the midst of a major paradigm shift in the life sciences. Selfish Genes to Social Beings is a report from the frontiers of research, one that evolutionary ecologist Jonathan Silvertown is well-placed to make. He draws on a wealth of examples, some familiar, many less so, to document cooperation in action. A tour de force of synthesis. * Steven Rose, Author of The Chemistry of Life and The Making of Memory *