Price of Altruism : George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness

English

ISBN: 0393067785

EAN: 9780393067781

Category: Science / Life Sciences / Genetics & Genomics/Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy/Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology/

Publisher: Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W.

Release Date: 07/23/2010

Synopsis: Survival of the fittest or survival of the nicest? Since the dawn of time man has contemplated the mystery of altruism, but it was Darwin who posed the question most starkly. 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. 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 (19221975), as he strives to answer evolutions greatest riddle. An original and penetrating picture of twentieth century thought, it is also a deeply personal journey. From the heights of the Manhattan Project to the inspired equation that explains altruism to the depths of homelessness and despair, Prices life embodies the paradoxes of Darwins enigma. His tragic suicide in a squatters flat, among the vagabonds to whom he gave all his possessions, provides the ultimate contemplation on the possibility of genuine benevolence.

Awards: American Library Association Notable Books – null  Los Angeles Times Book Prizes – null  New York Times Notable Books of the Year – null 

Price of Altruism : George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness

Illustrated: Yes

Format: Hardcover

Height: 1.25 inches

Width: 6.5 inches

Length: 9.55 inches

Weight: 27.41 oz

Pages: 352