Cooperation Book Reviews

The notions of free markets, competition, and "survival of the fittest" underlie modern thinking about business and a wide range of other subjects. Yet, we cooperate with family members, business colleagues, customers, and strangers routinely. If we live in a world primarily driven by competition, how can there be so much cooperation? The books on this page offer various insights into cooperation and competition.

The Portable Darwin by Charles Darwin

Darwin's views (and their wholesale misunderstanding) are among the few fundamental and enduring influences on thought in the past century. The most disturbing feature of this influence is that almost no one using evolutionary concepts metaphorically understands the simple mechanics of natural selection. Regardless of your opinions, Darwin is a wonderful read. He has an accessible style and an unpretentious curiosity. Most highly recommended. Review added January 2001.

The Evolution of Cooperation by Robert Axelrod

This book offers a succinct, compelling, and practical explanation of how cooperation can arise out of a fundamentally competitive universe. Axelrod bases his argument on simple game theory models so consciousness and morality play no part in the explanation. The book's basic argument is simply stated: cooperation is based on the possibility of future interaction. The implications of this axiom are both broad-reaching and specific. Review added January 2001.

Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher, Bruce Patton, and William L. Ury

This is the best known book on negotiating towards shared goals. It is easy to read, and persuasive, if seemingly too optomistic. If you want something more substantial, read The Art and Science of Negotiation by Howard Raiffa. Review added January 2001.

The Song of the Dodo : Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions by David Quammen

This meticulously researched and beautifully written book is the definitive modern work on island biogeography. This book is well worth reading, but I'll supply the main points here:

The number of different species and the total number of individuals that an island can support is a function of the size of the island. Larger islands support more individuals and species per square meter than smaller islands. There is a specific formula for the land-species relationship with high predictive accuracy.
The whole world is being cut up into small islands by human development.

Review added January 2001.

The Flamingo's Smile by Stephen Jay Gould

Stephen Jay Gould is a well-known popular science writer and coauthor of the original paper on punctuated equilibrium, one of the most influential modern papers in evolutionary theory. His essays, collected from a regular column in Natural History magazine, are entertaining and interesting. This particular collection is one of my favorites, but his other books are equally good. Review added January 2001.

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

Dawkins made a name for himself with this book, arguing that we are nothing more than huge meat machines whose only purpose is to perpetuate our genes. His arguments are frustratingly difficult to refute. Review added January 2001.

The Ants by Bert Holldobler and E.O. Wilson

Take your worst horror movie or science fiction fantasy about ruthless, well-organized, creepy, aliens from space. Okay, now know that somewhere in the world there are ant species that are even scarier. The Ants is easily the most frightening book I've ever read. Great photos accompany the detailed text. Review added January 2001.

The Web of Adaptation by David W. Snow

A group of birds called Cotingidae lives in the jungles of northern South America and Central America. These birds eat almost nothing but fruit. The Web of Adaptation is a series of essays discussing the consequences of fruit-eating on mating strategies and other behaviors. If you're not a birder, it may be hard to imagine why this should interest you. The reason is simple: to understand natural selection, competition, and cooperation, you need specific and concrete examples. It is far too easy to make up evolutionary stories to explain any physical feature, social system, or behavior without real evidence. This book is the most accessible, vivid, and interesting book I've found, offering clear and specific examples. The book is out of print, but most university libraries have a copy. You can usually find a used copy at www.bookfinder.com or www.bibliofind.com for $15-20 US. Review added January 2001.

Read a great book lately? Send an email to dpadams@island-data.com.