Invisible Rivals: How We Evolved to Compete in a Cooperative World [Hardcover]

A multidisciplinary view of how our competitive and cooperative natures make us human
 
For centuries, people have argued about whether humans are moral animals—good or bad, cooperative or competitive, altruistic or selfish. The debates continue today, dressed up in the language of modern science. In this book, Jonathan R. Goodman makes the case for synthesizing the two sides. Drawing on insights from anthropology, evolutionary biology, and philosophy, he argues that rather than being fundamentally cooperative or competitive, we are capable of being both—and of exploiting each other when there is an opportunity to do so.
 
The core of invisible rivalry is how we make ourselves and others believe that we are acting cooperatively even as we manipulate those around us for our own benefit. In confronting this collective tendency toward self-interest, Goodman says, we can make the fundamental first step in fixing the breakdown of trust in society. Consequently, we will be better able to combat the myriad issues we face today, including widespread inequality, misinformation in a new technological environment, and climate change."Few non-fiction books have made me examine my preconceptions so deeply as this remarkable study of human interaction."—Matthew D'Ancona,The New World

“A timely, erudite, and provocative book that is fun and an inspiring call to arms. Jonathan Goodman uses history, evolutionary biology, and anthropology to explain why humans are hard-wired to cooperate—but also designed to embrace conflict and competition, with potentially dark outcomes.”—Gillian Tett, provost, King’s College, Cambridge, and author ofFool’s GoldandAnthro-Vision

“In his fascinating debutInvisible Rivals, Goodman debunks simplistic theories of human selfishness, providing a highly nuanced and contextual account of human l“/