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The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 302.14
EAN: 9780140264456
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0140264450
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: April 01, 1998
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Editorial Review:
Human life, scientific journalist Matt Ridley suggests, is a complex balancing act: we behave with self-interest foremost in mind, but also in ways that do not harm, and sometimes even benefit, others. This behavior, in a strange way, makes us good. It also makes us unique in the animal world, where self-interest is far more pronounced. "The essential virtuousness of human beings is proved not by parallels in the animal kingdom, but by the very lack of convincing animal parallels," Ridley writes. How we got to be so virtuous over millions of years of evolution is the theme of this entertaining book of popular science, which will be of interest to any student of human nature.
If, as Darwin suggests, evolution relentlessly encourages the survival of the fittest, why are humans compelled to live in cooperative, complex societies? In this fascinating examination of the roots of human trust and virtue, a zoologist and former American editor of the Economist reveals the results of recent studies that suggest that self-interest and mutual aid are not at all incompatible. In fact, he points out, our cooperative instincts may have evolved as part of mankind's natural selfish behavior--by exchanging favors we can benefit ourselves as well as others. Brilliantly orchestrating the newest findings of geneticists, psychologists, and anthropologists, The Origins of Virtue re-examines the everyday assumptions upon which we base our actions towards others, whether in our roles as parents, siblings, or trade partners. With the wit and brilliance of The Red Queen, his acclaimed study of human and animal sexuality, Matt Ridley shows us how breakthroughs in computer programming, microbiology, and economics have given us a new perspective on how and why we relate to each other.
• Ridley's previous book, The Red Queen, was short-listed for the Writers' Guild Award for nonfiction.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Good evolutionary explantion of cooperation
The subject is cooperation and its evolutionary origins. Fascinating dicussion of reciprocal altruism which is illustrated with games like the Prisoner's Dilema. He introduces the perhaps surprising idea that there are versions of the Prisoner's Dilema where slightly irrational nice people can do better than completely rational players. The ideas continue to build, each chapter expanding the discussion outward. The final chapters dicuss such things as ecology, trade, property rights and religion. ... Read More
Rating: - The Greatest Book Ever Written
Don't pick up this book unless you want life-changing revelations about the way you view friends, family, and all other relationships. Everything is a give and take.
Rating: - Interesting book about cooperative behavior, marred by libertarian bias
Why should people or animals be nice to one another? The thesis of the book is that such behavior arises because it is in the mutual interest of individuals to exchange goods and services. The book does a good job of showing examples from animal and anthropological studies as well as providing theoretical arguments. Along the way you will be disabused of any notions that you may have of "noble savages" and of any idyllic images of the behavior of dolphins and chimpanzees.
Unfortunately ... Read More
Rating: - Interesting argument about human cooperation and evolution
The book opens with a daring jail break. The story notes that the person escaping the grim Russian prison is, in fact, a member of the nobility, one of the Czar's favorites when the escapee was much younger. The person breaking out, of course, is Peter Kropotkin, the anarchist prince. However, it is not his philosophy so much as his work in natural history that drew Matt Ridley's attention.
Kropotkin, on an exploration of Siberia, observed what he saw was cooperation among multitudinous ... Read More
Rating: - Provocative with some confusing conclusions
I gave this book four stars out of five because most of the book seems to develop a sound argument for virtues and traits arising out of evolutionary development. Where it fails is in some of its conclusions. Here I am echoing the Editorial Review From Library Journal as shown here on Amazon.com. After pointing out how mankind, many times as hunter-gather tribes, has caused massive destruction and drove many species to extinction, he concludes that the best way to be environmentally friendly is through small, ... Read More
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