This View of Life

This View of Life: Completing the Darwinian Revolution
by David Sloan Wilson 

Pub Date: February 2019
Length: 304 pages

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is widely understood that Charles Darwins theory of evolution completely revolutionized the study of biology. Yet, according to David Sloan Wilson, the Darwinian revolution wont be truly complete until it is applied more broadlyto everything associated with the words human, culture, and policy.

In a series of engaging and insightful examples -from the breeding of hens to the timing of cataract surgeries to the organization of an automobile plan -Wilson shows how an evolutionary worldview provides a practical tool kit for understanding not only genetic evolution but also the fast-paced changes that are having an impact on our world and ourselves. What emerges is an incredibly empowering argument: If we can become wise managers of evolutionary processes, we can solve the problems of our age at all scales -from the efficacy of our groups to our well-being as individuals to our stewardship of the planet Earth.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Utterly fascinating and beautifully written. . . . [Wilson] addresses deep questions about humanity: how we can avoid physical or mental illnesses, raise children, make groups more effective, create sustainable economies and nurture better planetary stewards. . . . This View of Life should . . . be on everyones bedside tablecompany heads and policymakers included. Ill be leaving a copy in the rented cottage outside Bristol where I am staying, confident that it will change future guests own view of life." --Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, Nature

"A forward-looking positive vision. . . . Wilson aims to break evolution out of its biological box, offering it as a universal framework for understanding and shaping human phenomena." --Razib Khan, National Review

"This book is powerful, inspirational, and forward-thinking. Interested in how we can shape a brighter tomorrow? Read this book." --Glenn Geher, Psychology Today

"Splendid . . . An excellent argument that evolution applies to culture as well as organisms . . . [Wilson is] a masterful educator." --Kirkus (starred review)

"David Sloan Wilson has long been one of the most visionary and trail-blazing evolutionary biologists around, forcing the field to recognize that evolutionary change occurs from far more than selection solely at the level of the gene. In This View of Life, he explores the various surprising things that evolution is and isnt, and its relevance to everything from everyday life to global policy decisions. Its thick with ideas and insights, written in a graceful, accessible style." --Robert Sapolsky, New York Times bestselling author of Behave and Professor of Biology and Neurology at Stanford University

"Social policy as a branch of biology? Even if this at first strikes you as preposterous, keep on reading. There are so many new ideas and perspectives in this delightful and thought-provoking book that it would be your loss if you did not engage with it. Not everybody will agree with the main thesis in this book, but I expect that everybody's way of thinking will be challenged and ultimately enriched by it." --Daron Acemoglu, New York Times Bestselling co-author of Why Nations Fail and the Killian Professor of Economics at MIT
 
"David Sloan Wilson is a clear-headed, sound-thinking, realistic idealist, and a great writer to boot.  In this brilliant work he shows us how an evolutionary worldview can not only help us understand who we areas a species, as individuals, and as a societybut can also help us develop better policies for our long-term good as social beings." --Peter Gray, Research Professor at Boston College and author of Free to Learn:  Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life.