Scientific Publishing Synergistic Selection: How Cooperation Has Shaped Evolution and the Rise of Humankind (Evolution Biology)

Review In this complex and intelligent book, Peter Corning presents a grand view of the evolution of complexity, eloquently arguing that it is based on the cumulative combination of the effects of cooperation on synergies among systems. He provides an inclusive synthesis of evolutionary theory, re-interpreting classical views of Darwinian and Lamarckian evolution in terms of evolving synergetic interactions, and offers a new way of thinking about the major transitions in evolution and about human evolution. Brave, well‐written, and based on more than thirty years of deep reflection, Corning's vision stretches onto the future of our planet and our species and suggests new ways of anticipating and facing them. --Professor Eva Jablonka, Tel-Aviv University and co-author of (among others) Evolution in Four DimensionsPeter Corning's book is a marvelous addition to the growing literature about the emerging alternative to gene-centric neo-Darwinism in evolutionary biology. We would not exist were it not for the cooperative behaviour of living organisms, from microorganisms to the largest mammals and trees. The progressive evolution of multiple levels of organisation in living systems has harnessed blind chance. This book tells you how (and why) this occurred. --Denis Noble, CBE, FRS, FRCP, FMedSci, Burden Sanderson Chair of Cardiovascular Physiology, Oxford University, Emeritus, and author of (among others) The Music of LifeEvolution is the story of the development of complex organic and social systems. The key to understanding this complexity, Peter Corning shows, is synergy fitness-enhancing cooperation among heterogeneous parts. Synergistic Selection draws on the broad history of evolutionary thinking and is buttressed by contemporary empirical evidence. It is an eloquent refutation of the standard story of selfish genes. While abounding in biological detail, Synergistic Selection is easily accessible to a lay audience. --Herbert Gintis, External Professor, Santa Fe Institute and co-author of (among others) A Cooperative Species Product Description Synergistic Selection is an important contribution to our understanding of evolution … An essential read at the intersection of science, inspiration, and sustainability.Michael Dowd, author of Thank God for Evolution and host of The Future Is Calling Us to GreatnessA brilliant, timely, and much needed contribution.David Korten, co-founder & Board Chair of YES! Magazine and author of When Corporations Rule the WorldThis magnificent book reveals the critical role of synergy in evolution and in all of biology, including especially in humankind. Synergy is fundamental in so many areas of science and knowledge. And in his final chapter, on how to change our current dysfunctional course as a species and avoid the destruction of our planet, Peter Corning offers us a unique and hopeful new vision.Anthony Trewavas, FRS, Emeritus Professor, Institute of Molecular Plant Science, University of Edinburgh and author of Plant Behaviour and IntelligencePeter Corning has once again given us a book that not only expertly summarizes the current state of the art in evolutionary biology, it also points the way to a compelling new understanding of how we arrived at our place in the natural world.John M Gowdy, Professor of Economics and Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and co-author of Paradise for SalePeter Corning's approach is wise and he is astonishingly well read. The scope of his excellent book is broad and ambitious, running from the origins of life to modern economics in human societies. Many of his examples are described in clear and fascinating detail … He writes extremely well and I read every word with great pleasure and interest … I am full of admiration and strongly recommend it.Sir Patrick Bateson, FRS,Emeritus Professor of Biology, Cambridge University president of the Zoological Society of London and the author of (among others) Beha