Sep 18, 2017

The Origin of Life: A Selfish Act or a Cooperative Effort?

Life arose as a cooperative effort among diverse molecule types in catalytically closed and self-sustaining chemical reaction networks. There is grandeur in this view of (the origin of) life.

Aug 2, 2017

Does Conflict Drive Cooperation?

The relationship between inter-group violence and within-group cooperation is one that seems endemic across human societies, and it continues to be given greater attention by a range of scientists.

May 8, 2014

Evolutionary Educational Psychology as a Base for Instructional Design

While it is intuitively plausible that teaching [critical thinking] skills should be useful, evidence that they are teachable is sparse.

May 2, 2014

The Future Looks Good For Citizen Science

Public participation in science, or citizen science, is finding a foothold in all branches of science.

Feb 20, 2014

Profiles in Evolutionary Moral Psychology: Oliver Scott Curry

Why nothing about morality makes sense except in the light of evolution.

Jan 22, 2014

Profiles in Evolutionary Moral Psychology: Richard Joyce

What he believes evolutionary biology offers moral philosophy.

Jan 15, 2014

Profiles In Evolutionary Moral Psychology: Michael McCullough

Jan 12, 2014

Trustworthy People Are Seen As More Similar To Ourselves

We trust people based as much on how they look, how similar to us, than other factors, but our perception of looks can vary with social interaction.

Jan 7, 2014

The Evolution of Fairness

Jul 22, 2013

Are some problems too big for democracy?

When you have lost a democratic election to someone who fights against your sacred values, there is no consolation in the thought that you can barter over policy details in the legislature.

Jun 29, 2013

Painful and Extreme Rituals Enhance Social Cohesion

Painful and extreme rituals may enhance social cohesion.

Jun 29, 2013

Good Intentions and the Road to Hell

Pathological altruism can counterintuitively lead to pervasive problems in public policy.

Feb 2, 2013

Feeling Threatened Makes Us Nicer (Toward Our Group)

Perceived menace makes people kinder to their kin but nastier to outsiders.

Nov 13, 2012

Symbiosis and Sandy

The symbiotic relationship between Obama and Christie and in nature.

Nov 11, 2012

How (Evolutionary) Science Can Heal a Divided Electorate

Greater Good interviews Johnathan Haidt in the wake of the 2012 U.S. presidential election and asks: how can a divided electorate move forward?

Oct 30, 2012

The Russian Anarchist Prince Who Challenged Evolution

Are we cooperative or competitive?

Oct 11, 2012

War and Violence on the Decline in Modern Times

Political Scientist Joshua Goldstein and Psychologist Steven Pinker discuss arguments on the decline of violence.

Oct 8, 2012

Is Human Nature Fundamentally Selfish or Altruistic?

Did selfishness — or sharing — drive human evolution?

Oct 3, 2012

Did Human Evolution Favor Individualists or Altruists?

Rand's mistake was in essentializing the distinction between "individualist freedom" vs. "collectivist tyranny" and then transporting it into our human past.

Jul 30, 2012

Does Human Biology Favor Gun Control or Gun Ownership?

Gun control vs. Gun ownership and human nature.

Jun 21, 2012

E.O. Wilson, John Horgan, and the Evolution of War

Evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson and science writer John Horgan reflect on the evolution of war

May 19, 2012

Why Peace is So Tricky for Humans

The role of third parties like the UN in resolving conflicts appears to have deep evolutionary roots.

Apr 21, 2012

What it Means to be Human: Evolution of Intelligence by Cooperation and Teamwork

The evolution of intelligence and larger brain sizes can be driven by cooperation and teamwork.

Mar 2, 2012

How to Get the Rich to Share the Marbles

This “share-the-spoils” button has been discovered, in a sense, but it may turn out to be harder to press than Democrats might think.

Feb 25, 2012

The New Science of Cooperation: England’s Cooperative Empire

The public narrative of unregulated self-interest is so dominant and oppressive that proponents of cooperation are made to appear like “freaks”

Feb 18, 2012

Back to Basics with Social Theory

Our economy is built on competition – but, really, we are collaborators.

Feb 11, 2012

Adaptationism and the Study of Political Behavior

For millennia, group boundaries have organized our identities, motivated allegiances, and inspired feats of coordination the likes of which are unparalleled in the animal kingdom.We hypothesize that psychological adaptations exist that structure the way we think about groups, and that regulate cooperative and competitive behavior in the context of specific coalitional dynamics; specifically, we argue that humans are endowed with an evolved “coalitional psychology.”