Richard Wrangham

The Goodness Paradox, written by Richard Wrangham, is a book that explores the relationship between human evolution and the paradoxical coexistence of human virtues and violence. Wrangham argues that humans have evolved to be both violent and virtuous, and that this paradoxical nature is the result of two competing evolutionary forces: selection for aggression and selection for cooperation.

According to Wrangham, humans evolved to be aggressive because violence was an effective strategy for survival and reproduction in the ancestral environment. However, as humans began to live in larger groups, cooperation and social intelligence became increasingly important for survival and reproduction. This led to the evolution of virtuous traits such as empathy, altruism, and fairness.

The Goodness Paradox argues that these two evolutionary forces are in constant tension with each other, and that the balance between them has important implications for human behavior and society. Wrangham suggests that understanding this paradoxical nature of human evolution can help us to better understand the causes of violence and conflict, and to develop more effective strategies for promoting peace and cooperation.

The Goodness Paradox is a thought-provoking book that challenges our assumptions about human nature and offers insights into the complex relationship between violence and virtue in human evolution.… (altro)