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Evolution of the Social Contract 2nd Revised edition


Evolution of the Social Contract 2nd Revised edition

Hardback by Skyrms, Brian (University of California, Irvine)

Evolution of the Social Contract

£65.00

ISBN:
9781107077287
Publication Date:
30 Oct 2014
Edition/language:
2nd Revised edition / English
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Pages:
166 pages
Format:
Hardback
For delivery:
Estimated despatch 13 - 18 May 2024
Evolution of the Social Contract

Description

In this new edition of Evolution of the Social Contract, Brian Skyrms uses evolutionary game theory to analyze the genesis of social contracts and investigates social phenomena including justice, communication, altruism, and bargaining. Featuring new material on evolution and information transfer, and including recent developments in game theory and evolution literature, his book introduces and applies appropriate concepts of equilibrium and evolutionary dynamics, showing how key issues can be modeled as games and considering the ways in which evolution sometimes supports, and sometimes does not support, rational choice. He discusses topics including how bargaining with neighbors promotes sharing of resources, the diversity of behavior in ultimatum bargaining in small societies, the Prisoner's Dilemma, and an investigation into signaling games and the spontaneous emergence of meaningful communication. His book will be of great interest to readers in philosophy of science, social science, evolutionary biology, game and decision theory, and political theory.

Contents

Preface to the second edition; Preface to the original edition; Acknowledgments; 1. Sex and justice; 2. Fairness and commitment; 3. Mutual aid; 4. Correlated convention; 5. The evolution of meaning; Postscript; Notes; References; Index.

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