» The Evolution of Cooperation: Revised Edition

The Evolution of Cooperation: Revised Edition Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: The Evolution of Cooperation: A Review
Comment: In 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, explaining how the model works, and taking the reader through numerous easy to understand real life examples, Axelrod offers the reader advice on how to make decisions efficiently and how to promote cooperation. This is a must read for anyone entering the Political Science field, or people who are just interested in how cooperation can exist in situations in which there is no central authority. The Evolution of Cooperation truly, and simply, answers the question, "Under what conditions will cooperation emerge in a world of egoists without central authority?"

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Modern Masterpiece
Comment: I 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 least Summer reading for anyone interested in sociology, evolutionary biology or game theory. However, this book does not get the attention it deserves in the world of legal education. I believe it should be required reading for every law student. All you lawyers and future lawyers out there, you will learn more about the nature of law from Prof. Axelrod than you will ever learn from Hegel, and you will have a lot more fun in the process. I cannot recommend The Evolution of Cooperation highly enough.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Check out "The Selfish Gene" instead
Comment: This 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 at the back that contained the proofs.

I didn't make it past the first chapter, and I suspect that most others won't.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: cooperation even in battle
Comment: I 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).

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A tough slog at times but worth it
Comment: I'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.

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