Does altruism exist? : culture, genes, and the welfare of others

The Resource Does altruism exist? : culture, genes, and the welfare of others
Label
Does altruism exist? : culture, genes, and the welfare of others
Title remainder
culture, genes, and the welfare of others
Statement of responsibility
David Sloan Wilson
Creator
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
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<U+0127> �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.--
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Provided by Publisher
Cataloging source
YDXCP
Dewey number
576.8
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
index present
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
Series statement
Foundational questions in science

Context

Context of Does altruism exist? : culture, genes, and the welfare of others

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