Foundations of Social Evolution [Hardcover]

Steven A. Frank (Author)

Book Description

Series: Monographs in Behavior and Ecology | Publication Date: July 6, 1998

This is a treatment of one of the central problems in evolutionary biology, the evolution of social co-operation and conflict. Steven Frank tackles the problem with a combination of approaches: game theory, classical models of natural selection, quantitative genetics, and kin selection. He unites these with economic thought: a theory of model formation and comparative statics, the development of simple methods for analyzing complex problems, and notions of information and rationality. The text begins by developing the three measures of value used in biology - marginal value, reproductive value, and kin selection. It then combines these measures into a coherent framework, providing a unified analysis of social evolution in its full ecological and demographic context. Frank also extends the theory of kin selection by showing that relatedness has two distinct meanings. The first is a measure of information about social partners, with close affinity to theories of correlated equilibrium and Bayesian rationality in economic game theory. The second is a measure of the fidelity by which characters are transmitted to future generations - an extended notion of heritability. Throughout, Fran

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steven A. Frank is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (July 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691059330
• ISBN-13: 978-0691059334
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,746,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book for the Specialist, May 16, 2000

By 

Herbert Gintis (Northampton, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foundations of Social Evolution (Paperback)

This is a book for mathematically-inclined population and evolutionary biologists and other behavioral scientists. It is not for the layperson. The book is an extended exegesis on Price's equation---like variations and themes. The exposition is a bit rough, but some of the formulations are marvelous.

Price's equation is great for dealing with the interaction of structured populations, but there are other important approaches, including developing Markov processes and/or sets of differential equations to capture the dynamics of interacting social groups.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for the non specialist!, February 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Foundations of Social Evolution (Paperback)

This book may well be everything its poblisher says it is, but it still will be of little use to readers unused to reading mathematical tracts. I was disappointed. With all the contention in this crucial field, somebody needs to go back to the beginning and carefully review the issues -- without bias and animus -- in a way that any attentive reader can understand.