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Evolution and the Theory of Games 1st Edition

4.8 out of 5 stars 17

In this 1982 book, the theory of games, first developed to analyse economic behaviour, is modified so that it can be applied to evolving populations. John Maynard Smith's concept of an evolutionarily stable strategy is relevant whenever the best thing for an animal or plant to do depends on what others are doing. The theory leads to testable predictions about the evolution of behaviour, of sex and genetic systems, and of growth and life history patterns. This book contains a full account of the theory, and of the data relevant to it. The account is aimed at senior undergraduate and graduate students, teachers and research workers in animal behaviour, population genetics and evolutionary biology. The book will also be of interest to mathematicians and game theorists; the mathematics has been largely confined to appendixes so that the main text may be easily followed by biologists.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Of those two near-contradictory things publishers say about a book, that it is 'seminal' and that it is 'long-awaited', Evolution and the Theory of Games somehow manages to make me think of both at once....This is a book that must be read by every serious ethologist/sociobiologist....It is unmistakably a brilliant book by one of the most important contributors to ethology in its history, still at the height of his powers. The only reason we don't call him an ethologist is that he is so much else besides....the gems of wisdom and biological insight are still there on every page, and ethologists can spend many happy field sessions testing the ideas here." Richard Dawkins, Animal Behaviour

Book Description

This 1982 book is an account of an alternative way of thinking about evolution and the theory of games.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press; 1st edition (October 21, 1982)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 234 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0521288843
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0521288842
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.51 x 0.59 x 8.51 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 17

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John Maynard Smith
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
17 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2013
It is indeed a ingenious idea applied to evolutionary Biology. John Maynard Smith in his book explained in detail how Game Theory and Evolution walk side by side
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2018
A classic!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kartikey Awasthi
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely worth it
Reviewed in India on February 2, 2020
J. Maynard Smith is the one of the most inspiring theoreticians in biology and this work of his speaks *volumes* to its support (pun intended). His writing allows you to appreciate the math behind a seemingly subjective science of ethology and it's not, in any sense, convoluted or obfuscating.

He utilises basic algebra and precalculus notions which high school students would understand albeit he skips off the steps to maintain the text's relevance in the field of biology. He constantly presents phenomenological data and fits them in his theoretical framework which is an absolute delight to witness as the reader. This book is the Bible for anyone who wishes to understand the application of evolutionary game theory.
autodidact
5.0 out of 5 stars Ground-breaking and Thought-provoking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2013
This is an extremely interesting application of game theory to the subject of evolutionary fitness. In a game, a player has a strategy to decide which possible move to play. Game theory models this by looking at the possible outcomes from a move and the gains and losses to the player from each possible move. The best strategy maximises the gains and minimises the losses over a game or a number of games.

In biology, life, to coin a phrase, is the name of the game. For example, when an animal is defending a territory, or a mate, or both, it may be a hawk and act aggressively or a dove and run away, or have a mixed strategy (fight if I'm bigger, run away if I'm not). Usually, the mixed strategy is the evolutionary stable one (an individual with a different strategy can not invade).

The book uses examples from the animal kingdom of how these strategies are actually observed. It will change the way you watch animal behaviour ever after.

The book is technical and is to introduce the mathematics to bioligists. There are plenty of equations in there, so if that phases you, go for a more popular introduction.
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Ibtissame El hobbi
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2016
Superb!