You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
This collection of the highly regarded Herbert Spencer Lectures (Oxford University) is intended to survey the profound influence on many disciplines of the Darwinian theory of evolution by natural selection. The noted contributors include A.J. Cain, the Hon. W.G. Runciman, R.J. Herrnstein, Maurice Godelier, Bernard Williams, and E.H. Gombrich. Their authoritative observations review the impact of Darwinism in art, philosophy, sociology, psychology, and other fields of human knowledge and endeavor.
Model formulae represent a powerful methodology for describing, discussing, understanding, and performing that large part of statistical tests known as linear statistics. The book aims to put this methodology firmly within the grasp of undergraduates.
Published to coincide with the 30th anniversary of 'The Selfish Gene', this collection explores the impact of Richard Dawkins as scientist, rationalist, and one of the most important thinkers alive today.
Genomic imprinting allows scientists to trace genes to the parent of origin. This volume presents a collection of 13 papers by David Haig (organisimic and evolutionary biology, Harvard U.) on genomic imprinting. He argues that our paternally and maternally active genes do not work in cooperation with each other and in fact are in competition. Each paper is followed by commentary by the author, providing background information and discussing developments since its publication. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR.
Published to coincide with the 30th anniversary of The Selfish Gene, this sparkling collection explores the impact of Richard Dawkins as scientist, rationalist, and one of the most important thinkers alive today. Leading figures from science, philosophy, literature, and the media reflect on the breadth and range of Dawkins' contributions to science and public debate, from evolutionary theory and artificial life, to rationalism and ethics. - ;Published to coincide with the 30th anniversary of The Selfish Gene, this sparkling collection explores the impact of Richard Dawkins as scientist, rationalist, and one of the most important thinkers alive today. Specially commissioned pieces by leading ...
A fully updated new edition of a critically acclaimed examination of the theories and writings of Richard Dawkins by a world-renowned expert on the relation of science and religion Includes in-depth analysis of Dawkins’ landmark treatise The God Delusion (2006), as well as coverage of his later popular works The Magic of Reality (2011) and The Greatest Show on Earth (2011),and a new chapter on Dawkins as a popularizer of science Tackles Dawkins’ hostile and controversial views on religion, and examine the religious implications of his scientific ideas including a comprehensive investigation of the ‘selfish gene’ Written in an accessible and engaging style that will appeal to anyone interested in better understanding the interplay between science and religion
Social behavior has long puzzled evolutionary biologists, since the classical theory of natural selection maintains that individuals should not sacrifice their own fitness to affect that of others. Social Evolution and Inclusive Fitness Theory argues that a theory first presented in 1963 by William D. Hamilton—inclusive fitness theory—provides the most fundamental and general explanation for the evolution and maintenance of social behavior in the natural world. James Marshall guides readers through the vast and confusing literature on the evolution of social behavior, introducing and explaining the competing theories that claim to provide answers to questions such as why animals evolve t...
In this book, a case study of a humanistic reading of an essential evolutionary theorist, George C. Williams (May 12, 1926–September 8, 2010), the author contends that certain classic works of evolutionary theory and history are the most important nature writing of recent times. What it means to be scientifically literate—is essential for humanistic scholars, who must ground themselves with literary reading of scientific texts. As the most influential American evolutionary theorist of the second half of the twentieth century, Williams masters critique, frames questions about adaptation and natural selection, and answers in a plain, aphoristic writing style. Williams aims for parsimony—to “recognize adaptation at the level necessitated by the facts and no higher”—through a minimalist writing style. This voice articulates a powerful process that operates at very low levels by blind and selfish chance at the expense of its designed products, using purely trial and error.
Evolutionary change is usually incremental and continuous, but some increases in organizational complexity have been radical and divisive. Evolutionary biologists, who refer to such events as “major transitions”, have not always appreciated that these advances were novel forms of pairwise commitment that subjugated previously independent agents. Inclusive fitness theory convincingly explains cooperation and conflict in societies of animals and free-living cells, but to deserve its eminent status it should also capture how major transitions originated: from prokaryote cells to eukaryote cells, via differentiated multicellularity, to colonies with specialized queen and worker castes. As ye...
W.D.Hamilton was responsible for one of the major revolutions in evolutionary thought since Darwin - that of the 'gene's eye view of life'. He was a scientific pioneer, a misunderstood genius: risk-taker, jungle explorer, and uncompromising truth-seeker. This illuminating and moving biography documents Hamilton's extraordinary life and science.