Darwinian Politics - (Rutgers Human Evolution) by Paul H Rubin (Paperback)

About the Book

An examination of political behaviour from a modern evolutionary perspective. Paul H. Rubin discusses group or social behaviour, including: ethnic and racial conflict; altruism and co-operation; envy; political power; and the role of religion in politics.

Book Synopsis

Darwinian Politics is the first book to examine political behavior from a modern evolutionary perspective. Here, Paul H. Rubin discusses group or social behavior, including ethnic and racial conflict; altruism and cooperation; envy; political power; and the role of religion in politics 3/4 issues that have formed the hallmark of human social behavior.

Adopting a Darwinian perspective, Rubin demonstrates why certain political-moral philosophies succeed or fail in modern Western culture. He begins by showing relationships between biology and natural selection and the history of political philosophy and explains why desirable policies must treat each person as an individual. He considers the notion of group identity and conflict, observing a human propensity to form in-groups, a behavior that does not necessitate but often leads to deviancies such as racism. In discussing altruism, Rubin shows that people are willing to aid the poor if they are convinced that the recipients are not shirkers or free loaders. This explains why recent welfare reforms are widely viewed as successful. Envy, a trait that is often counterproductive in today's world, is also addressed. In comparing major moral philosophical systems, Rubin contends that utilitarianism is broadly consistent with our evolved preferences. He illustrates evolutionary premises for religious belief and for desires to regulate the behavior of others, and how in today's world such regulation may not serve any useful purpose.

Ultimately, Rubin argues that humans naturally seek political freedom, and modern Western society provides more freedom than any previous one. In light of his analysis, the author extrapolates that, while there are still areas for improvements, humans have done a remarkably good job of satisfying their evolved political preferences.

Review Quotes

A lucid, responsible, thought-provoking, constructive inquiry into the biological foundations of economic behavior.--Richard Posner, judge "U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit"

Full of insights and interesting connections among biology, public policy, and economics. It keeps the reader's interest and is well paced. Simply great - I enjoyed every minute of it. --Michael T. McGuire "coauthor of Darwinism Psychiatry"

In this lively and insightful book, Paul Robin shows just how much light can be shed on the institutions of modern life by reference to our long species history as hunter-gatherers. This is highly recommended reading. --Herbert Gintis "author of Game Theory Evolving"

About the Author

Paul H. Robin is a professor of economics and law at Emory University. He is the author of Managing Business Transactions: Controlling the Costs of Coordinating, Communication, and Decision Making and Privacy and the Commercial Use of Personal Information.