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Dewey Decimal Number: 302.14 EAN: 9780465021222 ISBN: 0465021220 Label: Basic Books Manufacturer: Basic Books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 251 Publication Date: April 15, 1984 Publisher: Basic Books Studio: Basic Books Editorial Review: Product Description: This widely praised and much-discussed book explores how cooperation can emerge in a world of self-seeking egoists—whether superpowers, businesses, or individuals—when there is no central authority to police their actions. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - The Evolution of Cooperation: A ReviewIn his phenomenal book The Evolution of Cooperation, Robert Axelrod explains the logic behind game theory's most influential model- the Prisoner's Dilemma- in a way that even the nontechnical reader can understand. Backing up traditional findings with advanced computer tests, Axelrod relates the Prisoner's Dilemma to evolutionary biology, the live-let-live system of trench warfare during World War I, and family relationships. After laying out the premises behind the Prisoner's Dilemma, ... Read More Rating: - A Modern MasterpieceI first read this book in college for the course Philosophical Puzzles - an examination of logical paradoxes (I won't bother Messrs. Strunk and White with the correct plural formation). Though this book is, in my opinion, the definitive resource for understanding the prisoner's dilemma (iterated or otherwise), the ramifications of Axelrod's work extend far beyond the wierd little worlds in which we find ourselves in undergraduate philosophy classrooms. It's a no-brainer that this book should be at ... Read More Rating:  - Check out "The Selfish Gene" insteadThis book was FAR too dense and technical. I bought it expecting to find something comparable to what Richard Dawkins would write. Instead, I found a book that was full of mathematical proofs and descriptions of computer programs. At whom was this aimed? There are very few people who could read something like this intelligently. One possible organization might have been: Some case studies of varied cases and then a description of the theory why they happened they way they did. And then appendices ... Read More Rating:  - cooperation even in battleI liked this book most for the insight that even in trench warfare in the first world war the soldiers on both sides cooperated. The lesson that I got from this book was something that I've known for a long time: When people cooperate, more good and greater wealth is generated than when they don't. I also liked the pretty good discussion on the prisoner's dilemma (though I still think THAT is an American fiction). Rating: - A tough slog at times but worth itI'm not the first reviewer so I won't provide a summary. This book can be a bit dense at times, especially if you're not a quant or charts person. I am, but you may not be. If you're not but are still interested in a descriptive discussion then you'd likely give it a 4-star due to skipping over a few sections. |
