Books about Evolved from Amazon.com

"It's the animal in us," we often hear when we've been bad. But why not when we're good? Primates and Philosophers tackles this question by exploring the biological foundations of one of humanity's most valued traits: morality

In this provocative book, primatologist Frans de Waal argues that modern-day evolutionary biology takes far too dim a view of the natural world, emphasizing our "selfish" genes. Science has thus exacerbated our reciprocal habits of blaming nature when we act badly and labeling the good things we do as "humane." Seeking the origin of human morality not in evolution but in human culture, science insists that we are moral by choice, not by nature.

Citing remarkable evidence based on his extensive research of primate behavior, de Waal attacks "Veneer Theory," which posits morality as a thin overlay on an otherwise nasty nature. He explains how we evolved from a long line of animals that care for the weak and build cooperation with reciprocal transactions. Drawing on both Darwin and recent scientific advances, de Waal demonstrates a strong continuity between human and animal behavior. In the process, he also probes issues such as anthropomorphism and human responsibilities toward animals.

Based on the Tanner Lectures de Waal delivered at Princeton University's Center for Human Values in 2004, Primates and Philosophers includes responses by the philosophers Peter Singer, Christine M. Korsgaard, and Philip Kitcher and the science writer Robert Wright. They press de Waal to clarify the differences between humans and other animals, yielding a lively debate that will fascinate all those who wonder about the origins and reach of human goodness.

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Price: $13.77 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Become Halo's Master Chief
Survive a two-on-one battle against Hunters, assist the Marines at the assault on the control room, thwart the Covenant, and successfully capture the flag on Blood Gulch. Halo, the world's best action game, blasts onto the PC, and this book is your indispensable guide to every aspect of the vast Halo universe.
Written with the full collaboration of Bungie Studios, Gearbox, and Microsoft Game Studios, this guide is packed with invaluable strategies, behind-the-scenes information, and winning tactics straight from the experts.
Inside you'll find:
* Complete single-player walkthrough so you can survive Legendary difficulty
* Analysis of every weapon, vehicle, and enemy in the game
* Powerful strategies from hardcore Halo veterans around the world
* Exclusive Halo Story Bible excerpts that have never been published anywhere
* Tips and level design notes from the Bungie and Gearbox development teams
* Detailed maps of every single multiplayer level
* Essential tactics for dominating every multiplayer map and game mode
* Full compilation of Halo Easter eggs!.
Price: $8.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

How Humans Evolved uses the broad perspective of behavioral ecology, drawing on Robert Boyd's expertise in evolutionary theory and Joan Silk's specialty in primate behavior in a uniquely integrative text.
Price: $51.52 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Mesh Collaboration: Creating new business value in the network of everything Mesh Collaboration, a new book by Andy Mulholland and Nick Earle, helps companies understand how to thrive and grow in a fast moving, ultracompetitive, globalized world by telling the story of Jane Moneymaker, the CEO of the fictitious Vorpal, Inc. Mesh Collaboration continues the story started in Mashup Corporations. In that book, Moneymaker and her team grappled with mashups and service-oriented architecture and the nature of Vorpal's relationships with innovators, customers, suppliers, and with the IT department. Mashups allowed a new form of business model, focused on selling customized products to niche markets and using the power of viral marketing. In Mesh Collaboration we pick up the story as Moneymaker and her team face the challenges of scaling the new business model in the multi-cultural globalized world. General sales and administrative costs are soaring and it is unclear why. Using the technique of explanatory fiction, Mesh Collaboration shows how Moneymaker merges the new world of Long Tail niche business models with the mass-market enterprise business model. Part 2 addresses the way that Web 2.0 collaborative techniques can be expanded beyond the role they initially played in creating niche markets. Part 3 shows how smart services can transform traditional industrial businesses by focusing on Power Plus, Vorpal¿s larger sister company. Power Plus expands beyond commodity products that compete only on price to a new model focusing on delivering business value by providing the whole solution through collaborative innovation. The last part of the book provides analysis of key questions that arise in each scenario..
Price: $30.76 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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Price: $13.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

How to manage your what? That’s right, your DICK. HOW TO MANAGE YOUR DESTRUCTIVE IMPULSES WITH CYBER KINETICS is one of the most unusual books you will ever read. It is also one of the most important Author Sean Joseph O’Reilly presents ideas about energy, moral development, and sexual management that will revolutionize your life. Our society emphasizes concepts like time and resource management, but for the most part ignores one very important kind of management: DICK Management. An ecology of personal-energy use that studies destructive, testosterone-driven impulses from the perspective of metaphysics and science, DICK Management is a new discipline that will teach you how to redirect sexual energy and discover your more spiritually enlightened, mentally evolved self. It’s about finding your own personal life ethic—not just about saying “no” or strictly controlling your desires but rather about saying “yes” to something larger than the tunnel vision of the Cyclops in your pants..
Price: $11.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Humans never run out of things to say. We explain, we cajole, we gossip, and we flirt--all with the help of language But how in the space of several million years did we evolve from an ordinary primate that that could not talk to the strange human primate that can't shut up?
In this fascinating, thought-provoking book, Robbins Burling presents the most convincing account of the origins of language ever published, shedding new light on how speech affects the way we think, behave, and relate to each other, and offering us a deeper understanding of the nature of language itself. Burling argues that comprehension, rather than production, was the driving force behind the evolution of language--we could understand words before we could produce them. As he develops this insight, he investigates the first links between signs, sounds, and meanings and explores the beginnings of vocabulary and grammar. He explains what the earliest forms of communication are likely to have been, how they worked, and why they were deployed, suggesting that when language began it was probably much more dependent on words like "poke" or "whoosh," words whose sounds have a close association with what they refer to. Only gradually did language develop the immense vocabulary it has today. Burling also examines the qualities of mind and brain needed to support the operations of language and the selective advantages they offered those able to use them.
Written in a crystal-clear style, constantly enlivened by flashes of wit and humor, here is the definitive account on the birth of language..
Price: $10.92 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Imagine that you could hear the insights of more than 100 people with decades of experience about how to run a plant to meet the challenges of today's hypercompetitive, globalized world. In Pursuit of the Perfect Plant provides exactly that experience. The authors assembled more than 100 experts, whose ideas were distilled into a simple, easy to read story. Unlike most books on manufacturing, which are deep dives into arcane topics, this book provides an expansive view. People who have 30 or 40 years experience in manufacturing report that the book has increased their knowledge in surprising ways. The manuscript has proved especially popular with senior executives seeking to better understand the plants under their control and people early in their career who are preparing to move up the management ladder. The story shows the connections between business processes and technology in the all important areas of manufacturing, which leads to deeper understanding. Find out how people are using the book to make a difference in their plants at: www.PursuitOfThePerfectPlant.com..
Price: $53.48 [Notify me when price goes down.]