The Evolution Of Cooperation, Robert Axelrod
The Evolution Of Cooperation, Robert Axelrod
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

The Evolution Of Cooperation

Author: Robert Axelrod

Narrator: Roger Wayne

Unabridged: 6 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 05/06/2025


Synopsis

“For anyone involved in settling disputes” (Richard Dawkins), a famed political scientist offers a classic argument for how to achieve a more cooperative world 

We assume that, in a world ruled by natural selection, selfishness pays. So why cooperate? In The Evolution of Cooperation, political scientist Robert Axelrod seeks to answer this question. In 1979, he organized the famed Computer Prisoner’s Dilemma Tournament, which sought to find the most effective strategy for the ubiquitous prisoner’s dilemma, a model of strategy problems in the nuclear age. The expectation had been that some complicated scheme of competition would win the day. Instead, a simple, cooperative program called Tit for Tat did. The effects of that victory continue to reverberate today, from college campuses to the Situation Room. 
 
A vital book for leaders and decision-makers, The Evolution of Cooperation reveals how cooperative principles help us think better about everything from military strategy to political elections to family dynamics. 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Andrew on September 19, 2014

It’s not overstating the case to say that Robert Axelrod’s The Evolution of Cooperation is literally the most important book of the last 100 years and will change the course of human history. Um, Andy, I think you need to revisit the definitions of certain words, like “literally” and “overstating.” OK......more

Goodreads review by Jurgen on January 07, 2016

Evidence that cooperation comes from selfishness.......more

Goodreads review by Lucas on February 24, 2019

This book is phenomenal, it is in the same vein as and even reuses studies from Richard Dawkins’ Selfish Gene. If you don’t have time or would rather not purchase this book, check out Axelrod’s paper “The Evolution of Norms”......more

Goodreads review by Augusto on December 04, 2022

In a world where a book sells for its cover, it is easy to grab a book titled "The cure for cancer" and read a love story about a dying girl. It is easy to underestimate this book by its title. Don't. A mathematical formula, expressing that cooperation increases with the number of interactions, is ap......more


Quotes

"Our ideas of cooperation will never be the same."—The Wall Street Journal

"When I read The Evolution of Cooperation in draft form, I scribbled all over my copy: 'Incredible!' 'Amazing!' 'Weird!' 'Fascinating!' 'Elegant!' 'Great!' I guess that tells you what I genuinely think of this book."
Douglas Hofstadter, author of Gödel, Escher, Bach

"A fascinating introduction to the theory of cooperation, and written in a clear, informal style that makes it a joy to read."
Times Literary Supplement