Blueprint : the evolutionary origins of a good society / Nicholas A. Christakis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Christakis, Nicholas A., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Evolution (Biology)--Philosophy.

Evolution (Biology).

Evolution (Biology)--Social aspects.

Social evolution.

Physical Description:

xxi, 520 pages, 8 pages of plates : illustrations (some color), map ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Little, Brown Spark, 2019.

Summary:

For too long, scientists have focused on the dark side of our biological heritage: our capacity for aggression, cruelty, prejudice, and self-interest. But natural selection has given us a suite of beneficial social features, including our capacity for love, friendship, cooperation, and learning. Beneath all our inventions -- our tools, farms, machines, cities, nations -- we carry with us innate proclivities to make a good society. In Blueprint, Nicholas A. Christakis introduces the compelling idea that our genes affect not only our bodies and behaviors, but also the ways in which we make societies, ones that are surprisingly similar worldwide. With many vivid examples -- including diverse historical and contemporary cultures, communities formed in the wake of shipwrecks, commune dwellers seeking utopia, online groups thrown together by design or involving artificially intelligent bots, and even the tender and complex social arrangements of elephants and dolphins that so resemble our own -- Christakis shows that, despite a human history replete with violence, we cannot escape our social blueprint for goodness. In a world of increasing political and economic polarization, it's tempting to ignore the positive role of our evolutionary past. But by exploring the ancient roots of goodness in civilization, Blueprint shows that our genes have shaped societies for our welfare and that, in a feedback loop stretching back many thousands of years, societies have shaped, and are still shaping, our genes today.

Contents:

Preface: our common humanity

The society within us

Unintentional communities

Intentional communities

Artificial communities

First comes love

Animal attraction

Animal friends

Friends and networks

One way to be social

Remote control

Genes and culture

Natural and social laws.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 425-505) and index.

ISBN:

9780316230032

0316230030

OCLC:

1089804986