Website review: Mathematical mysteries: Survival of...
Someone discovered this in Evolution
•8 reviews since Nov 17, 2006
evolution
•plus.maths.org/issue19/xfile/index.html
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Reviews of this website
AgitatedMonk discovered 21 months ago- Mathematical mysteries: Survival of the nicest?
- themasterchief rated 3 months ago
It never ceases to amaze me how many people are utterly shocked that evolution would favor cooperation in a situation where the whole benefits. It's very simple really, organisms that cooperate in groups tend to do much better in many circumstances than individual, loner, leachers do. It then stands to reason that this being the case, organisms that were more cooperative/altruistic toward the whole in general do better over time as they reap the benefits of living in a community which significantly out weigh any costs of altruism over time.
- culverin2 rated 17 months ago
- if you find this interesting read: "The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation" by Matt Ridley
- laudano rated 18 months ago
- From the page: "One of the most puzzling aspects of human behaviour is cooperation, in situations where backstabbing and selfishness would seem to be more rewarding. From the point of view of evolutionary theory, the very existence of altruism and cooperation appear mysterious. The mechanics of evolution seem to imply that rugged competition is the order of the day; that, given an opportunity to benefit by cheating someone, or by defaulting on a deal, we will inevitably do so. Surely to do otherwise would mean relegation to the sidelines of the evolutionary game - and in that game, demotion means extinction. In fact, as even the most cynical observer must admit, cooperation is rife in human society. Even if you sometimes despair of human nature, you must admit that the "dog-eat-dog" scenario conjured up by the phrase "survival of the fittest" doesn't bear much resemblance to life as we know it. So it must be that, from a purely selfinterested point of view, cooperation can actually be good for us."
- commerican rated 18 months ago
- I've been saying this for years. Right libertarians like to think that evolution necessarily implies heartless competition, and that this brings out the best in us. I strongly disagree; the success of our species speaks of the power of cooperation. Also, altruism is often poorly defined as being detrimental to the giver and without recompense. I really wish this definition would go away. It ignores the main reason why we behave cooperatively: so we can ultimately benefit from it.
- nathancipher rated 18 months ago
- wow...this article is amazing
- Jessbo rated 20 months ago
- "Tit-for-Tat with forgiveness." Now there's some words to live by.
