The Origins of Virtue

Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation

By: Matt Ridley

Narrated by: Jeff Loeb

If, as Darwin suggests, evolution relentlessly encourages the survival of the fittest, why are humans compelled to live in cooperative, complex societies? In this fascinating examination of the roots of human trust and virtue, a zoologist and former American editor of The Economist reveals the results of recent studies that suggest that self-interest and mutual aid are not at all incompatible. In fact, he points out, our cooperative instincts may have evolved as part of mankind's natural selfish behavior - by exchanging favors we can benefit ourselves as well as others. Brilliantly orchestrating the newest findings of geneticists, psychologists, and anthropologists, The Origins of Virtue reexamines the everyday assumptions upon which we base our actions toward others, whether in our roles as parents, siblings, or trade partners. With the wit and brilliance of The Red Queen, his acclaimed study of human and animal sexuality, Matt Ridley shows us how breakthroughs in computer programming, microbiology, and economics have given us a new perspective on how and why we relate to one another.

©1996 Matt Ridley (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Brilliant as usual

Ridley is a genius! One of the best authors I've yet found. He is able to weave together quite complex material in a straightforward and enjoyable manner. Highly recommend!

Lucid, Erudite and Entertaining

Few works have influenced my thinking as much. I think its insights will have a very long half life.

Fantastic

Very well articulated book that talks about nature vs nurture and game theory. Great read

Essential

This book is essential to help us to understand the human been and their relationship with others.

Trust is the foundation of virtue

I am so impressed with this book I couldn’t finish it due to rereading every chapter a few times over.
Brilliant, sharp, incredibly relevant and a must for readers in positions of leadership including parents.
Thank you

great book

This is a perfect follow up book to Richard Dawkins' "The Selfish Gene." A great read.

Emotional assertions poorly supported by evidence

AUDIBLE BOOK SUGGESTIONS IN THE FINAL PARAGRAPH

First, the positive, the anthropological studies the author references are the good part of this book, unfortunately, they seldom have much to do with the author's conclusions. It became obvious early on that the author has either not read or not learned from studies of "virtue" from the past century when he first reduced all the virtues to "altruism," which he fails to define before he "disproves" it by cherry-picking materials from studies of human and animal behavior. In all honesty, it seems as if this author has never met real people and never discussed his ideas with people who might already be familiar with ethics, philosophy, or anthropology: he seems to believe that readers will be dismayed by his conclusions about the force of "selfishness" --which are mundane rather than challenging and which don't even scratch the surface of the concepts of morality, virtue ethics, epistemology, or spiritual formation which others have managed more adroitly despite their complexity.

The author caps off his work with a chapter or two of unhinged ranting that reminds me of something I would see on some American Evangelical's blog, The target of his tantrum is "the left" which he identifies with everyone from modern socialists, to (party) Democrats, to Lenin, to Hitler. I was made to wonder if this man was a researcher or was secretly a London taxi driver who decided to share his internet research on his favorite topics in book form because car-ride-length conversations don't give him enough time to expound on his utterly uninteresting hobby horse. In all of this, it is not primarily the author's conclusion that is the problem but his descent into shrill declamations, condemnations, and assertions instead of a carefully constructed argument based on the evidence.

READING/LISTENING SUGGESTIONS: if you want accessible and revolutionary work on anthropology and archaeology, read/listen to Graeber and Wingrow's "The Dawn of Everything"; if you would like to know about human morality read/listen to Jonathan Haidt's "The Righteous Mind"; If you want to know about the nature and origins of virtue, read/listen to Alasdair MacIntyre's "After Virtue"; if you want to learn how studies of animals bear on the concept of human morality, read/listen to MacIntyre's "Dependent Rational Animals"; if you want to know more about the connection between primate behavior and humans, read/listen to de Waal's "Primates and Philosophers"; if you want to see the problem with false altruism, read/listen to "Winners Take All," all of which are available on Audible and any of which will provide you with a more pleasant, well-informed, and challenging experience than this pathetic polemic masquerading as research.

it was good till he got political

the beginning was good. but after he goes on a long racist diatribe about native americans (note be mentioned not the nature lovin' tribe's of pegan europ... apparently where he even lives) the book goes down hill.

Widely and Deeply Knowledgeable, but Clueless

This book describes pre-enlightened* humanity, a species that is still suffering from the darkness (and miseries) of Continued Universal Human Cluelessness**
The book is about why we should care about others. It fails to answer why at the root level, so it misses the target. Its saving value is the wide knowledge and interests of the author.
Just to note, the root reason to care for others is that we cannot exist in this universe alone. (yes, that was a period).
From a slightly less broad perspective, the more enlightened* minds that there are, the higher our odds of surviving, so we should also care if others are enlightened* or not, and that they are the healthiest, strongest, and as free and independent as they can be (which will be mutual, since their odds of survival in this harsh and deadly universe increase if we are at our optimum).

*Enlightened as defined by the Philosophy of Broader Survival.
**Cluelessness as defined by the Philosophy of Broader Survival.

The performance is good and the 'story' (the topic) is important.

I will place this book in the Pre-Enlightenment (i.e. the Cluelessness) wing of the Museum of Human History (and not in the Post-Enlightenment wing).