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Jonathan Birch, "The Philosophy of Social Evolution" (Oxford UP, 2017)
Jonathan Birch, "The Philosophy of Social Evolution" (Oxford UP, 2017)
ratings:
Length:
63 minutes
Released:
Feb 11, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
It seems to go against evolutionary theory for an individual to give up its own chances at reproducing in order to increase the fitness of others. Yet social behavior is found throughout nature, from bacteria and social insects to wolves, whales, and of course humans. What makes self-sacrifice to any degree even possible, given that self-interested behavior is the default? In The Philosophy of Social Evolution (Oxford University Press, 2017), Jonathan Birch critically examines the conceptual foundations of social evolution theory, considering debates about kin vs. group selection, cultural as well as genetic transmissible bases of inheritance, and inclusive vs. neighbor-modulated fitness. Birch, an associate professor at the London School of Economics, also discusses the view of multicellular organisms as societies of cells, and extends the concept of genetic relatedness to cultural relatedness by means of common cultural traits.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Released:
Feb 11, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Gerald Gaus, “The Order of Public Reason: A Theory of Freedom and Morality in a Diverse and Bound World” (Cambridge UP, 2010): If we are to have a society at all, it seems that we must recognize and abide by certain rules concerning our interactions with others. And in recognizing such rules, we must take ourselves to sometimes be authorized to hold others accountable to them.... by New Books in Philosophy