Altruistically Inclined?: The Behavioral Sciences, Evolutionary Theory, and the Origins of Reciprocity [Hardcover]

Alexander J. Field (Author)

Book Description

Series: Economics, Cognition, and Society | Publication Date: January 2, 2002

Alexander J. Field is the Michel and Mary Orradre Professor of Economics at Santa Clara University.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A work of scholarship and mature reflection, based on a wide reading across economics, biology, and psychology" -- Robert Sugden, Journal of Economic Literature

"a provocative, integrative, impressively scholarly work that will stimulate a wide range of readers." -- Thomas P. Hahn, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

"a very engaging work that should be read by anyone interested in explaining human altruism" -- Craig T. Palmer, The Human Nature Review

From the Inside Flap

"Should economists keep on trying to force everything into a Prudence Only model, or should they admit that evolved human nature has room for Love and Justice, too? Alexander Field--an economist and historian, a reader of biology and of literature--brings an extraordinarily wide range of thought to bear on the issue. He is a public intellectual to rank with Robert Frank or Robert Putnam, though he disagrees sharply with the fashionable pessimism of these two. Passions stay well within reason and we do not usually, after all, bowl alone. Why? Because we have evolved for good reasons as ethical beings, who try to be harmless when we can. All manner of social cooperation, from negotiating the Santa Monica Freeway to ordinary commerce, depends on the Niceness Instinct that Field celebrates and explains. Field has written a great book, readable and important, a reply to the boys playing in a Hobbesian sandbox, who dominate our social sciences but cannot imagine why societies cohere." --Deirdre McCloskey, UIC Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, and English, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Tinbergen Professor of Economics, Philosophy, and Art and Cultural Studies, Erasmusuniversiteit Rotterdam

"In this remarkable book, Alex Field casts his net across disciplines to confront the question that economists prefer to avoid: Why are human beings altruistic? His powerful argument deserves the attention of all social scientists." --Gavin Wright, Department of Economics, Stanford University

"This book presents a bold and fascinating conjecture pertaining to the interface of several disciplines: economics, sociology, evolutionary psychology, and ethics. It will force practitioners in each of these disciplines to look at familiar problems in a new way." --Melvin Reder, Isidore Brown and Gladys J. Brown Professor Emeritus of Urban and Labor Economics, University of Chicago

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 392 pages
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press (January 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0472112244
• ISBN-13: 978-0472112241
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,164,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alexander J. Field is the Michel and Mary Orradre Professor of Economics at Santa Clara University and Executive Director of the Economic History Association.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Behave Yourself, February 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Altruistically Inclined?: The Behavioral Sciences, Evolutionary Theory, and the Origins of Reciprocity (Hardcover)

In Altruistically Inclined, Alex Field presents a superbly dense and provocative exploration of individual behavior and reasoning. From a background of economics, his deconstruction and reassembling of our understanding of what is rational is an ambitious challenge that Prof. Field manages to tackle and push forward without descending into the excess of intellectual obfuscation. Not that Prof. Field entirely avoids drilling so deep into subject matter that we find ourselves immersed in annotation and data such that we must occasionally come up for air before choking on the dust left by a speeding intellect. It's a delicate dance and Prof. Field is to be commended for offering his thesis not as a debunking but as a methodical enhancement to current and classical science. His map of what might be referred to as a behavioral genome is hugely detailed and while he doesn't seek to redraw the boundaries, he offers topography within those lines that suggest vastly different interpretations than prior snapshots of the surface revealed. The author succeeds in arguing his thesis from multiple perspectives and applying a command of interdisciplinary reasoning. The effect is an elegant and compelling essay that sketches a portrait of our brain that is both an x-ray into evolutionary development and a broader credible reflection that speaks to the puzzles of social and political intercourse . As Behavior sciences lean toward inexactness, Mr. Field has been able to apply formula and rigor in measuring and testing traits characterized by nuance. That Mr. Field is an economist is evidenced throughout this book - His presentation of the data leaves the reader with an audit trail and confidence that support his theory and anticipate challenges occurring to the engaged reader. Beware though, this book is not a summer breeze. Though not without humor this book is a serious tome, and not written for "the layman" . As prefaced remarks so often allude to an effort by the author to make content more accessible to the non-disciplined reader, it is refreshing that Prof. Field avoids this dumbing down pitfall and engages readers as fellow academicians. That being said, this "layman" found his way through the material and can recommend Altruistically Inclined to others inclined toward the informative.