Darwinism Applied: Evolutionary Paths to Social Goals

Beckstrom explores how discoveries in evolutionary science can help people achieve, but not establish, social goals. Beginning with the principle that human behavior is, to some degree, influenced by genetics, the author considers how conduct can be modified in large population groupings using identified behavioral mechanisms. Aid-giving behavior common to human populations is established as a key factor that is fundamental to an understanding of its flip side involving abuse and neglect. The universal objectives of reducing child abuse, rape, incest, and war are explicitly addressed, as are such areas as intestate property distribution, street crime reduction, and the fostering or discouragement of patriotism. This book is a clear treatment of what practical implications neo-Darwinism can have for contemporary societies.

JOHN H. BECKSTROM is Emeritus Professor of Law at Northwestern Univerity’s School of Law. He holds degrees from the Univerity of Iowa, Harvard University, and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he was a Fulbright scholar. He earlier published Sociobiology and the Law and, in 1989, Evolutionary Jurisprudence.