The Price of Altruism: George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.40 (769 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0393339998 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 451 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-09-05 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
From the selfless ant to the stinging bee to the man laying down his life for a stranger, evolution has yielded a goodness that in theory should never be. 24 black-and-white illustrations. His tragic suicide in a squatter’s flat, among the vagabonds to whom he gave all his possessions, provides the ultimate contemplation on the possibility of genuine benevolence. Set against the sweeping tale of 150 years of scientific attempts to explain kindness, The Price of Altruism tells for the first time the moving story of the eccentric American genius George Price (1922–1975), as he strives to answer evolution's greatest riddle. “Enthra
It's Not Easy, But It Can Be Rewarding Reading Stephanie De Pue In "The Price of Altruism: George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness," a history of science, particularly the science of evolution, professor and author Oren Harman combines an intellectual history of the search for the origins of altruism with the disturbing story of George Price, the brilliant and eccentric American genius whose insights into the evolution of groups redefined how scientists understand the origins of social behaviors. In common with many of the colorful characters that took a stab at Charles Darwin's great mystery, George Price was an outsider, an unusual and radical character; something about the. Mark Shulman said Fascinating book - reads like a mystery. If you like Simon Singh Malcolm Gladwell and Sylvia Nasar you must read this book! Harman is able to combine Singh's ability to make complicated science accessible and interesting, Gladwell's skill in telling a captivating story and Nasar's talent for bringing a person back to life - all in one book.The Price of Altrisum is not simply a biography of a genius, but also a fascinating tale that charts the quest to answer one of the biggest hurdles evolution had to overcome - why would an animal act kindly to another unrelated animal in a world of 'survival of the fittest?'The biggest appeal for me in the book was that Harman was ab. WOW! A masterpiece. Great read. Highly recommended! Daniel Syrkin It's not often one encounters a book as fascinating and as deeply moving asthis. Where does altruism come from? And can there ever really be pure altruismapart from disguised self-interest? The life of George Price, the unforgettableprotagonist of The Price of Altruism, is an amazing dramatization of these twoquestions, culminating in a heart-wrenching, and brain-rattling ending.But if this book is a rarity, so is it's author. At once in powerful control ofthe science he describes, the lives and psychologies of the scientists he portrays,and the wider historical and philosophical meanings of mankind's search for the originson ki
In November 1967 Price moved to London, determined to "crack the problem of altruism," and Part Two picks up there, with his conversion to Christianity, after which he gave away his possessions and dedicated himself to helping London's homeless, until he eventually joined their ranks. But it's Price's tale that grounds Harman's book. . Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. In 1975, just after Christmas, he took his own life. Haldane, and "the most distinguished Darwinian since Darwin," Bill Hamilton, who would become a close colleague of Price's. All
Oren Harman, who has a doctorate from Oxford University, is the Chair of the Graduate Program in Science Technology and Society at Bar Ilan University and a professor of the history of science. He lives in Tel Aviv and New York. . He is the author of The Man Who Invented the Chromosome, a documentary film maker, and a frequent contributor to The New Republic