Ebook: Did Darwin Get It Right?: Essays on Games, Sex and Evolution

Now in paperback, Did Darwin Get It Right discusses some of the hottest issues in biology today. Its author, the eminently quotable John Maynard Smith, discusses such fascinating conundrums as how life began, whether the brain works like a computer, why most animals and plants reproduce sexually, and how social behavior evolved out of the context of natural selection--a process which would seem to favor selfishness. A humorous and insightful writer, John Maynard Smith has the special ability to convey the excitement of science, its complexity and fascination, without baffling or boring his readers. In these 28 brief and accessible essays, Maynard ranges widely over such issues as science and the media, the birth of sociobiology, the evolution of animal intelligence and the limitations of evolutionary theory. For his work on the evolution of sex, Smith won the Darwin medal from the Royal Society, and he has pioneered the application of game theory to animal behavior.

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Now in paperback, Did Darwin Get It Right discusses some of the hottest issues in biology today. Its author, the eminently quotable John Maynard Smith, discusses such fascinating conundrums as how life began, whether the brain works like a computer, why most animals and plants reproduce sexually, and how social behavior evolved out of the context of natural selection--a process which would seem to favor selfishness. A humorous and insightful writer, John Maynard Smith has the special ability to convey the excitement of science, its complexity and fascination, without baffling or boring his readers. In these 28 brief and accessible essays, Maynard ranges widely over such issues as science and the media, the birth of sociobiology, the evolution of animal intelligence and the limitations of evolutionary theory. For his work on the evolution of sex, Smith won the Darwin medal from the Royal Society, and he has pioneered the application of game theory to animal behavior.

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Now in paperback, Did Darwin Get It Right discusses some of the hottest issues in biology today. Its author, the eminently quotable John Maynard Smith, discusses such fascinating conundrums as how life began, whether the brain works like a computer, why most animals and plants reproduce sexually, and how social behavior evolved out of the context of natural selection--a process which would seem to favor selfishness. A humorous and insightful writer, John Maynard Smith has the special ability to convey the excitement of science, its complexity and fascination, without baffling or boring his readers. In these 28 brief and accessible essays, Maynard ranges widely over such issues as science and the media, the birth of sociobiology, the evolution of animal intelligence and the limitations of evolutionary theory. For his work on the evolution of sex, Smith won the Darwin medal from the Royal Society, and he has pioneered the application of game theory to animal behavior.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-vi
Front Matter....Pages 1-2
How to win the Nobel Prize....Pages 3-7
Storming the Fortress....Pages 8-14
Symbolism and Chance....Pages 15-21
Science and the Media....Pages 22-29
Molecules are not Enough....Pages 30-38
Science, Ideology and Myth....Pages 39-50
Front Matter....Pages 51-52
The Birth of Sociobiology....Pages 53-60
Models of Cultural and Genetic Change....Pages 61-80
Constraints on Human Behaviour....Pages 81-85
Biology and the Behaviour of Man....Pages 86-92
Tinkering....Pages 93-97
Boy or Girl....Pages 98-104
Genes and Memes....Pages 105-113
Natural Selection of Culture?....Pages 114-121
Front Matter....Pages 123-123
Palaeontology at the High Table....Pages 125-130
Current Controversies in Evolutionary Biology....Pages 131-147
Did Darwin get it Right?....Pages 148-156
Do we need a new Evolutionary Paradigm?....Pages 157-161
Front Matter....Pages 163-163
Why Sex?....Pages 165-179
The Limitations of Evolution Theory....Pages 180-191
Front Matter....Pages 163-163
The Evolution of Animal Intelligence....Pages 192-201
Evolution and the Theory of Games....Pages 202-215
Front Matter....Pages 217-218
The Counting Problem....Pages 219-224
Understanding Science....Pages 225-230
Matchsticks, Brains and Curtain Rings....Pages 231-236
Hypercycles and the Origin of Life....Pages 237-243
Popper’s World....Pages 244-249
Rottenness is All....Pages 250-257
Back Matter....Pages 258-264

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Now in paperback, Did Darwin Get It Right discusses some of the hottest issues in biology today. Its author, the eminently quotable John Maynard Smith, discusses such fascinating conundrums as how life began, whether the brain works like a computer, why most animals and plants reproduce sexually, and how social behavior evolved out of the context of natural selection--a process which would seem to favor selfishness. A humorous and insightful writer, John Maynard Smith has the special ability to convey the excitement of science, its complexity and fascination, without baffling or boring his readers. In these 28 brief and accessible essays, Maynard ranges widely over such issues as science and the media, the birth of sociobiology, the evolution of animal intelligence and the limitations of evolutionary theory. For his work on the evolution of sex, Smith won the Darwin medal from the Royal Society, and he has pioneered the application of game theory to animal behavior.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-vi
Front Matter....Pages 1-2
How to win the Nobel Prize....Pages 3-7
Storming the Fortress....Pages 8-14
Symbolism and Chance....Pages 15-21
Science and the Media....Pages 22-29
Molecules are not Enough....Pages 30-38
Science, Ideology and Myth....Pages 39-50
Front Matter....Pages 51-52
The Birth of Sociobiology....Pages 53-60
Models of Cultural and Genetic Change....Pages 61-80
Constraints on Human Behaviour....Pages 81-85
Biology and the Behaviour of Man....Pages 86-92
Tinkering....Pages 93-97
Boy or Girl....Pages 98-104
Genes and Memes....Pages 105-113
Natural Selection of Culture?....Pages 114-121
Front Matter....Pages 123-123
Palaeontology at the High Table....Pages 125-130
Current Controversies in Evolutionary Biology....Pages 131-147
Did Darwin get it Right?....Pages 148-156
Do we need a new Evolutionary Paradigm?....Pages 157-161
Front Matter....Pages 163-163
Why Sex?....Pages 165-179
The Limitations of Evolution Theory....Pages 180-191
Front Matter....Pages 163-163
The Evolution of Animal Intelligence....Pages 192-201
Evolution and the Theory of Games....Pages 202-215
Front Matter....Pages 217-218
The Counting Problem....Pages 219-224
Understanding Science....Pages 225-230
Matchsticks, Brains and Curtain Rings....Pages 231-236
Hypercycles and the Origin of Life....Pages 237-243
Popper’s World....Pages 244-249
Rottenness is All....Pages 250-257
Back Matter....Pages 258-264
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