Download or read book The Social Instinct written by Nichola Raihani and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2021-08-31 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Enriching" —Publisher's Weekly "Excellent and illuminating"—Wall Street Journal In the tradition of Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene, Nichola Raihani's The Social Instinct is a profound and engaging look at the hidden relationships underpinning human evolution, and why cooperation is key to our future survival. Cooperation is the means by which life arose in the first place. It’s how life progressed through scale and complexity, from free-floating strands of genetic material to nation states. But given what we know about evolution, cooperation is also something of a puzzle. How does cooperation begin, when on a Darwinian level, all the genes in the body care about is being passed on to the next generation? Why do meerkats care for one another’s offspring? Why do babbler birds in the Kalahari form colonies in which only a single pair breeds? And how come some reef-dwelling fish punish each other for harming fish from another species? A biologist by training, Raihani looks at where and how collaborative behavior emerges throughout the animal kingdom, and what problems it solves. She reveals that the species that exhibit cooperative behaviour most similar to our own tend not to be other apes; they are birds, insects, and fish, occupying far more distant branches of the evolutionary tree. By understanding the problems they face, and how they cooperate to solve them, we can glimpse how human cooperation first evolved. And we can also understand what it is about the way we cooperate that makes us so distinctive–and so successful.

Download or read book The Social Instinct written by Nichola Raihani and published by St. Martin's Griffin. This book was released on 2023-08-22 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Enriching" —Publisher's Weekly "Excellent and illuminating"—Wall Street Journal In the tradition of Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene, Nichola Raihani's The Social Instinct is a profound and engaging look at the hidden relationships underpinning human evolution, and why cooperation is key to our future survival. Cooperation is the means by which life arose in the first place. It’s how life progressed through scale and complexity, from free-floating strands of genetic material to nation states. But given what we know about evolution, cooperation is also something of a puzzle. How does cooperation begin, when on a Darwinian level, all the genes in the body care about is being passed on to the next generation? Why do meerkats care for one another’s offspring? Why do babbler birds in the Kalahari form colonies in which only a single pair breeds? And how come some reef-dwelling fish punish each other for harming fish from another species? A biologist by training, Raihani looks at where and how collaborative behavior emerges throughout the animal kingdom, and what problems it solves. She reveals that the species that exhibit cooperative behaviour most similar to our own tend not to be other apes; they are birds, insects, and fish, occupying far more distant branches of the evolutionary tree. By understanding the problems they face, and how they cooperate to solve them, we can glimpse how human cooperation first evolved. And we can also understand what it is about the way we cooperate that makes us so distinctive–and so successful.

Download or read book The Social Instinct written by Nichola Raihani and published by Random House. This book was released on 2021-06-03 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A phenomenally important book' Lewis Dartnell, author of Origins Why do we live in families? Why do we help complete strangers? Why do we compare ourselves to others? Why do we cooperate? The science of cooperation tells us not only how we got here, but also where we might end up. In The Social Instinct Nichola Raihani introduces us to other species who, like us, live and work together. From the pied babblers of the Kalahari to the cleaner fish of the Great Barrier Reef, they happen to be some of the most fascinating and extraordinarily successful species on this planet. What do we have in common with these animals, and what can we learn from them? The Social Instinct is an exhilarating, far-reaching and thought-provoking journey through all life on Earth, with profound insights into what makes us human and how our societies work. 'A pleasing juxtaposition of insightful scientific theory with illuminating anecdotes' Richard Dawkins 'Surprising, thoughtful and, best of all, endlessly entertaining' Will Storr, author of The Science of Storytelling 'A superb book about how important cooperation is' Alice Roberts, author of Ancestors

Download or read book The Fairness Instinct written by L. Sun and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Combining research from the social sciences, hard sciences, and the humanities, this accessible cross-disciplinary book offers fascinating insights into a key component of human nature and society. What do the Arab Spring, the Robin Hood legend, Occupy Wall Street, and the American taxpayer reaction to the $182 billion bailout of AIG have in common? All are rooted in a deeply ingrained sense of fairness. But where does this universal instinct come from? This is the driving question at the heart of L. Sun’s The Fairness Instinct. Thinkers from Aristotle to Kant, from Augustine to John Rawls, and religions from Christianity to Confucianism, have offered great insight into the nature and origins of this basic human desire for fairness. Based on the most recent scientific discoveries in behavioral genetics, neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, economics, and evolution, Sun argues that the origins of the fairness instinct cannot be found exclusively in the philosophical, social, and political perspectives to which we so often turn; rather, they can be traced to something much deeper in our biological makeup. Taking as his starting point Frans De Waal’s seminal study showing that Capuchin monkeys revolt when they are shortchanged by receiving a less valuable reward than their peers receive for the same task, Sun synthesizes a wide range of research to explore the biological roots of the fairness instinct. He shows that fairness is much more than a moral value or ideological construct; fairness is in our DNA. Combining scientific rigor with accessible and reader-friendly language to relate fascinating stories of animal and human behavior, The Fairness Instinct lays out an evolutionary roadmap for how fairness emerges and thrives under natural selection and how two powerful engines—social living and social hierarchy—have fueled the evolution of this intricate and potent instinct in all of us. Probing into the motives that underlie such phenomena as envy, consumerism, anti-intellectualism, revenge, revolution, terrorism, marriage, democracy, and religion, Sun showcases the power of the fairness instinct to make our history, shape our society, and rule our social lives.

Download or read book The Human Instinct written by Kenneth R. Miller and published by Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2019-04-23 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From one of America’s best-known biologists, a revolutionary new way of thinking about evolution that shows “why, in light of our origins, humans are still special” (Edward J. Larson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Evolution). Once we had a special place in the hierarchy of life on Earth—a place confirmed by the literature and traditions of every human tribe. But then the theory of evolution arrived to shake the tree of human understanding to its roots. To many of the most passionate advocates for Darwin’s theory, we are just one species among multitudes, no more significant than any other. Even our minds are not our own, they tell us, but living machines programmed for nothing but survival and reproduction. In The Human Instinct, Brown University biologist Kenneth R. Miller “confronts both lay and professional misconceptions about evolution” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), showing that while evolution explains how our bodies and brains were shaped, that heritage does not limit or predetermine human behavior. In fact, Miller argues in this “highly recommended” (Forbes) work that it is only thanks to evolution that we have the power to shape our destiny. Equal parts natural science and philosophy, The Human Instinct makes an “absorbing, lucid, and engaging…case that it was evolution that gave us our humanity” (Ursula Goodenough, professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis).

Download or read book The Faith Instinct written by Nicholas Wade and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2009-11-12 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Noted science writer Nicholas Wade offers for the first time a convincing case based on a broad range of scientific evidence for the evolutionary basis of religion.

Download or read book The Tending Instinct written by Shelley E. Taylor and published by Times Books. This book was released on 2014-05-20 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking work that reveals how the instinct to "tend and befriend" is vital for human society. In times of crisis and upheaval, our responses to stress become especially important. We have long heard about the "fight or flight" response, but renowned psychologist Shelley E. Taylor points out that hardwired in females -- both humans and those of other species -- is an instinct that can transcend "fight or flight." Their "tend and befriend" response is not only demonstrable but, as Taylor deftly explains in this eye-opening work, a key ingredient in human social life. With great skill and insight, Taylor examines stress, relationships, and human society through the special lens of women's biology. She draws on genetics, evolutionary psychology, physiology, and neuroscience to show how this tending process begins virtually at the moment of conception and literally crafts the biology of offspring through genes that rely on caregiving for their expression. Taylor also examines what drives women to seek each other's company, and to tend to the young and the infirm -- acts that greatly benefit the group but often at great cost to the individual. The Tending Instinct will forever change the way we view ourselves, and will revolutionize our understanding of the role of women and nurturing in maintaining a stable society.

Download or read book Instinct written by Rebecca Heiss and published by Citadel Press. This book was released on 2021-04-27 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revolutionary approach to unlockingyour innate ability to achieve success in business and in life. Why do we constantly feel overwhelmed by stress, dissatisfied in our careers and relationships, and lacking in real purpose? Why do we seem to sabotage ourselves, hampering our productivity and success? The answer lies in our instincts . . . In every area of life, from business to relationships to health, we act on outdated instincts that were built to help us survive a world ruled by scarcity and danger. But in today’s world, those same instincts stop us from succeeding in the environment in which we actually live: a diverse world of abundant choices, and almost limitless connections. Now evolutionary biologist Dr. Rebecca Heiss offers a new approach that harnesses the power of our instincts, and redirects them to work for us rather than against us. Dr. Heiss reveals the science behind our self-sabotaging behaviors, then provides simple, actionable techniques that can rebuild our instinctive minds. Both practical and inspiring, Instinct is a roadmap that anyone can use to finally stop living on autopilot, improve productivity and happiness, and consciously craft a better life.

Download or read book The Consuming Instinct written by Gad Saad and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2011-06-21 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this highly informative and entertaining book, the founder of the vibrant new field of evolutionary consumption illuminates the relevance of our biological heritage to our daily lives as consumers. While culture is important, the author shows that innate evolutionary forces deeply influence the foods we eat, the gifts we offer, the cosmetics and clothing styles we choose to make ourselves more attractive to potential mates, and even the cultural products that stimulate our imaginations (such as art, music, and religion). The book demonstrates that most acts of consumption can be mapped onto four key Darwinian drives—namely, survival (we prefer foods high in calories); reproduction (we use products as sexual signals); kin selection (we naturally exchange gifts with family members); and reciprocal altruism (we enjoy offering gifts to close friends). The author further highlights the analogous behaviors that exist between human consumers and a wide range of animals. For anyone interested in the biological basis of human behavior or simply in what makes consumers tick—marketing professionals, advertisers, psychology mavens, and consumers themselves—this is a fascinating read.

Download or read book An Instinct for Truth written by Robert T. Pennock and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2019-08-13 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exploration of the scientific mindset—such character virtues as curiosity, veracity, attentiveness, and humility to evidence—and its importance for science, democracy, and human flourishing. Exemplary scientists have a characteristic way of viewing the world and their work: their mindset and methods all aim at discovering truths about nature. In An Instinct for Truth, Robert Pennock explores this scientific mindset and argues that what Charles Darwin called “an instinct for truth, knowledge, and discovery” has a tacit moral structure—that it is important not only for scientific excellence and integrity but also for democracy and human flourishing. In an era of “post-truth,” the scientific drive to discover empirical truths has a special value. Taking a virtue-theoretic perspective, Pennock explores curiosity, veracity, skepticism, humility to evidence, and other scientific virtues and vices. He explains that curiosity is the most distinctive element of the scientific character, by which other norms are shaped; discusses the passionate nature of scientific attentiveness; and calls for science education not only to teach scientific findings and methods but also to nurture the scientific mindset and its core values. Drawing on historical sources as well as a sociological study of more than a thousand scientists, Pennock's philosophical account is grounded in values that scientists themselves recognize they should aspire to. Pennock argues that epistemic and ethical values are normatively interconnected, and that for science and society to flourish, we need not just a philosophy of science, but a philosophy of the scientist.

Download or read book Instinct written by T. D. Jakes and published by FaithWords. This book was released on 2014-05-06 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tap into your God-given intuition and start achieving ultimate success with this inspiring #1 New York Times bestseller from Bishop T.D. Jakes. If you have ever felt misaligned, this book is for you. If you have lost the rhythm, the passion, or the thrill of living in alignment, then keep reading. As He did with the very cells that comprise our bodies and the dry bones that were joined together for new life, God has given us deeper instincts to be attracted to those things that fit a higher and better purpose. Never settle for less than God's best for your life. Some people have the courage to move beyond the ordinary, from the methodical mediocre into the revolutionary realization of where they belong. You can have this sense of belonging only when you connect to your core calling. The calling to creativity, the calling to teach, to give, to build, are all part of allowing your instinct to guide you to the "something more" that you suspect is out there. If you are ready to break through the confines of where you are and discover where you are meant to be, then Instinct is your key!!--EndFragment--

Download or read book Instincts of the Herd in Peace and War written by Wilfred Trotter and published by . This book was released on 1917 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Compassionate Instinct The Science of Human Goodness written by Dacher Keltner and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2010-01-04 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading scientists and science writers reflect on the life-changing, perspective-changing, new science of human goodness. Where once science painted humans as self-seeking and warlike, today scientists of many disciplines are uncovering the deep roots of human goodness. At the forefront of this revolution in scientific understanding is the Greater Good Science Center, based at the University of California, Berkeley. The center fuses its cutting-edge research with inspiring stories of compassion in action in Greater Good magazine. The best of these writings are collected here, and contributions from Steven Pinker, Robert Sapolsky, Paul Ekman, Michael Pollan, and the Dalai Lama, among others, will make you think not only about what it means to be happy and fulfilled but also what it means to lead an ethical and compassionate life.

Download or read book The Social Conquest of Earth written by Edward O. Wilson and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2012-04-09 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Book of the Year (Nonfiction) Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence (Nonfiction) From the most celebrated heir to Darwin comes a groundbreaking book on evolution, the summa work of Edward O. Wilson's legendary career. Sparking vigorous debate in the sciences, The Social Conquest of Earth upends “the famous theory that evolution naturally encourages creatures to put family first” (Discover). Refashioning the story of human evolution, Wilson draws on his remarkable knowledge of biology and social behavior to demonstrate that group selection, not kin selection, is the premier driving force of human evolution. In a work that James D. Watson calls “a monumental exploration of the biological origins of the human condition,” Wilson explains how our innate drive to belong to a group is both a “great blessing and a terrible curse” (Smithsonian). Demonstrating that the sources of morality, religion, and the creative arts are fundamentally biological in nature, the renowned Harvard University biologist presents us with the clearest explanation ever produced as to the origin of the human condition and why it resulted in our domination of the Earth’s biosphere.

Download or read book The Instinctual Drives and the Enneagram written by John Luckovich and published by John Luckovich. This book was released on 2021-08 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Enneagram is a profound tool for self-observation and inner work. While there are plenty of resources on the topic, most Enneagram literature is largely limited to entry-level descriptions of the Nine Types. The Instinctual Drives and the Enneagram focuses on a crucial but misunderstood facet of the Enneagram Typology--our "animal" Instinctual Drives and how they are related to our spiritual nature. While nearly every school of thought on the Enneagram acknowledges the importance and role of the Instinctual Drives, there's a deep lack of understanding what they actually are, the role they play in personality, and most importantly, their implications for inner work. This book achieves, for the first time, a coherent theory of the instinctual drives based in biology, evolution, and developmental psychology, and it paves the way toward a more accurate view of inner work that directly addresses our animal nature. In so doing, it turns our current understanding of the Enneagram on its head by showing that the personality does not exist in parallel with our instinctual drives, but in reaction to them. In other words, instinct comes first - and one's Enneagram type is nothing more or less than a strategy to fulfill instinctual needs. This clarified orientation has important implications for our spiritual development, self-remembrance, and the transformation of our personhood into a conduit of Essence.

Download or read book The Instinct for Cooperation written by Jeffrey Wilson and published by Seven Stories Press. This book was released on 2018-07-10 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the tradition of Joe Sacco's graphic journalism comes the first interview-based graphic novel treatment of Noam Chomsky's political ideas and activism. An astonishing graphic novel that brings Chomsky's political analysis to bear on real people's stories on the frontlines of America's struggle for economic justice and human dignity. The Instinct for Cooperation innovatively balances those real-life stories of struggle with conversations the author has had with Chomsky on how best to understand them. Although the themes are wide-ranging, this book is ultimately about the importance and need for spaces of resistance in countering state and other institutional forms of violence. For example, when discussing the removal of books by police and sanitation workers from Zuccotti Park in November of 2011, Chomsky paused to say "Arizona knows all about that," referring to the 2010 ban of Mexican American Studies in Tucson schools under Arizona House Bill 2281, which deemed classes that taught "ethnic solidarity" to be illegal. Rather than footnote the reference, Wilson tells that story. Like Joe Sacco's animated political journalism, this book offers a unique perspective on current issues, while providing a major contribution to the understanding of Chomsky's political theories.

Download or read book Tenacity in Children written by Sam Goldstein and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-04-10 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tenacity in Children examines how multiple generations of parents and caregivers raised children to become successful adults. Until relatively recent times in human history, there were no schools or organized institutions, nor were there parenting books. Rather, caregivers depended on the seven important instincts that evolved across tens of thousands of years in the human species. This volume highlights the ways in which these instincts are more important than ever in preparing children for tomorrow’s successes. Key areas of coverage include individual chapters devoted to examining each of the seven instincts – intuitive optimism, intrinsic motivation, compassionate empathy, simultaneous intelligence, genuine altruism, virtuous responsibility, and measured fairness – as well as practical strategies to guide children in acquiring and fine-tuning these essential human instincts. Tenacity in Children provides a solid foundation to prepare children for a resilient and happy future. It offers well-defined guideposts for adults committed to providing every child with the opportunity to access, strengthen, and employ these instincts as they negotiate childhood and passage into adult life. This book also serves as a rich resource for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in mental health and public health disciplines as well as many interrelated fields as we all strive to promote the well-being of children. The collaboration of these two esteemed psychologists has been impacting on our field for decades. This new book continues that tradition. – Richard D. Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed. Author of It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend: Helping Children with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success Tenacity in Children is the perfect balance between concepts, knowledge, scientific discourse, practical ideas and touching stories that truly illustrate the principles shared in the book. This book should reach the hands of every person dedicated to working with children. – Encarni Gallardo, MBA, CBM Executive Director, Children’s Service Society of Utah Written in an easy-to-read, narrative style, Drs. Goldstein and Brooks impart their innovative concept of Tenacity in Children along with its seven essential instincts by using heartwarming stories, personal and professional insights, research, and wisdom. – Joyce C. Mills, Ph.D. Co-author of Therapeutic Metaphors for Children and the Child Within Visit our website at www.tenacityinchildren.com