Genes, Egoism and the Power of Cooperation: Evolution as a Team Game

In a harsh world where competition for resources reigns, it is hard to think of ourselves as team players. It may seem that individualism is the driving force of progress and evolution. However, as the author of the book, evolutionary biologist Jonathan Silvertown, argues, it is cooperation that has allowed life to evolve, and this is confirmed by 4 billion years of life's evolution on the planet. Using unexpected examples such as the behavior of rats and crows, the structure of earthworms and lichens, the boiling of cellular broth, and even interactions among pirates and charitable organizations, the author shows that, just like genes and cells, every being strives for cooperation - albeit in its own interests. And there is no contradiction here: for it is the union with someone else for the sake of benefit and preventing danger that gave rise to life and fostered the process of evolution. There is a profound meaning in the tendency of people to help each other. Within us is embedded a certain biological law that urges us to cooperate. However, senseless violence, to which our species is sometimes so prone, is the harshest test for the survival of humanity as a species.