The Evolution of Cooperation provides valuable insights into the age-old question of whether unforced cooperation is ever possible. Widely praised and much-discussed, this classic book explores how cooperation can emerge in a world of self-seeking egoists-whether superpowers, businesses, or individuals-when there is no central authority to police their actions. The problem of cooperation is central to many different fields. Robert Axelrod recounts the famous computer tournaments in which the “cooperative” program Tit for Tat recorded its stunning victories, explains its application to a broad spectrum of subjects, and suggests how readers can both apply cooperative principles to their own lives and teach cooperative principles to others.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 36 reviews)

The Evolution of Cooperation: A Review

In his phenomenal book The Evolution of Cooperation, Robert Axelrod explains the logic behind game theory's most influential model- the Prisoner's Dilemma- in a way that even the nontechnical reader can understand. Backing up traditional findings with advanced computer tests, Axelrod relates the Prisoner's Dilemma to evolutionary biology, the live-let-live system of trench warfare during World War I, and family relationships.

After laying out the premises behind the Prisoner's Dilemma, explaining how the model works, and taking the reader through numerous easy to understand real life examples, Axelrod offers the reader advice on how to make decisions efficiently and how to promote cooperation. This is a must read for anyone entering the Political Science field, or people who are just interested in how cooperation can exist in situations in which there is no central authority. The Evolution of Cooperation truly, and simply, answers the question, "Under what conditions will cooperation emerge in a world of egoists without central authority?"

September 14, 2008

A Modern Masterpiece

I first read this book in college for the course Philosophical Puzzles - an examination of logical paradoxes (I won't bother Messrs. Strunk and White with the correct plural formation). Though this book is, in my opinion, the definitive resource for understanding the prisoner's dilemma (iterated or otherwise), the ramifications of Axelrod's work extend far beyond the wierd little worlds in which we find ourselves in undergraduate philosophy classrooms. It's a no-brainer that this book should be at least Summer reading for anyone interested in sociology, evolutionary biology or game theory. However, this book does not get the attention it deserves in the world of legal education. I believe it should be required reading for every law student. All you lawyers and future lawyers out there, you will learn more about the nature of law from Prof. Axelrod than you will ever learn from Hegel, and you will have a lot more fun in the process. I cannot recommend The Evolution of Cooperation highly enough.
September 13, 2008

Check out "The Selfish Gene" instead

This book was FAR too dense and technical. I bought it expecting to find something comparable to what Richard Dawkins would write. Instead, I found a book that was full of mathematical proofs and descriptions of computer programs. At whom was this aimed? There are very few people who could read something like this intelligently.

One possible organization might have been: Some case studies of varied cases and then a description of the theory why they happened they way they did. And then appendices at the back that contained the proofs.

I didn't make it past the first chapter, and I suspect that most others won't.
August 28, 2008

cooperation even in battle

I liked this book most for the insight that even in trench warfare in the first world war the soldiers on both sides cooperated. The lesson that I got from this book was something that I've known for a long time: When people cooperate, more good and greater wealth is generated than when they don't. I also liked the pretty good discussion on the prisoner's dilemma (though I still think THAT is an American fiction).
April 16, 2008

A tough slog at times but worth it

I'm not the first reviewer so I won't provide a summary. This book can be a bit dense at times, especially if you're not a quant or charts person. I am, but you may not be. If you're not but are still interested in a descriptive discussion then you'd likely give it a 4-star due to skipping over a few sections.
March 29, 2008

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

The Complexity of Cooperation: Agent-Based Models of Competition and Collaboration
by Robert Axelrod

The Strategy of Conflict
by Thomas C. Schelling

Micromotives and Macrobehavior
by Thomas C. Schelling

Prisoner's Dilemma
by William Poundstone

Choice and Consequence
by Thomas C. Schelling