Darwinian Politics

by Rubin, Paul H.

• ISBN13: 9780813530963
• ISBN10: 0813530962
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-08-01
• Publisher: Rutgers Univ Pr

Summary

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 -- 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 view

Author Biography

Paul H. Rubin is professor of economics and law at Emory University.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Background: Evolution and Politics	p. 1
Groups: Membership and Conflict	p. 31
Altruism, Cooperation, and Sharing	p. 57
Envy	p. 87
Political Power	p. 113
Religion and the Regulation of Behavior	p. 135
How Humans Make Political Decisions	p. 153
Relevance of the Pleistocene for Today	p. 182
Notes	p. 193
References	p. 199
Index	p. 215
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