Population Wars: A New Perspective on Competition and Coexistence

Description

Life on Earth has been defined by war from the beginning, with war between populations seen as an inevitable part of the evolutionary process. The popular understanding of 'the survival of the fittest' explains and often excuses these actions. In Population Wars, Greg Graffin argues that this use of evolutionary theory is wrong, and that mistake has allowed us to justify wars even when other, less violent solutions may be available. Through tales of mass extinctions, developing immune systems, human warfare, the American industrial heartland, and our degrading modern environment, Graffin demonstrates how an over-simplified idea of war, with its victorious winners and vanquished losers, prevents us from responding to the real problems we face. For readers of Richard Dawkins, Jared Diamond, and E.O. Wilson, Population Wars is a paradigm-shifting book about why humans behave the way they do and the science that explains their behaviour.

Greg Graffin is the lead singer and a songwriter in Bad Religion. He obtained his PhD in zoology at Cornell University, and has lectured at UCLA and Cornell. He is the coauthor of Anarchy Evolution, with Steve Olson. He travels regularly between the cities he considers home, Ithaca, New York, and Los Angeles, California.

"We are living in what may be the most important time in our species' history, in which we have become at once both the stewards of the earth and its millions of species and delicate ecosystem, and its potential demise through the population wars. As Greg Graffin demonstrates in this important call to action, the decision is ours to make on what we will do next-continue business as usual or take the next step in our moral evolution to create a sustainable world. Through compelling examples and page-turning storytelling, Graffin shows how we got here and what we can do about it, both individually and collectively." --Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist for Scientific American, and author of The Moral Arc "This brilliant and far-reaching tour of conflict and cooperation is led by a naturalist with an eye on the big picture. It will forever change the way you think about human conflict. Graffin is a talented science communicator who makes complex concepts accessible to all. The more we hear from him, the better." --Guy P. Harrison, author of Good Thinking: What You Need to Know to be Smarter, Safer, Wealthier, and Wiser A worldview eloquently expressed.--Chicago Tribune on Anarchy Evolution [Graffin] explains how evolution can be a guide to life.--Scientific American on Anarchy Evolution Take one man who rejects authority and religion and leads a punk band. Take another man who wonders whether vertebrates arose in rivers or in the ocean and is fascinated by evolution, creativity, and Ice Age animals. Put them together, and what do you get? Greg Graffin and this uniquely fascinating book.--Jared Diamond, author of Gun, Germs, and Steel on Anarchy Evolution Graffin does a superb job of explaining and italicizing our interconnections with other life forms. -Los Angeles Review pf Books The Iconoclastic storytelling scientist challenges conventional thinking about evolution... Graffin's message is challenging, and the professional entertainer shines through. -Kirkus Review You don't have to be a Bad Religion fan to read this book; you simply should because Graffin has something to say that's worth listening to. -HIFI Noise