Peter Corning’s new book, Synergistic Selection: How Cooperation Has Shaped Evolution and the Rise of Humankind, is being hailed as a major contribution to the greatest shift in our understanding of evolution since The Origin of Species. His book highlights the unique creative power of synergy and takes us on a guided tour of the history of life on Earth. Does our species have a future? The answer can be found in synergy.
Synergy refers to a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. In the natural world, synergy arises from the combined effects produced by two or more cooperating genes, parts, or organisms. Synergy contradicts the traditional, individualistic, “selfish gene” model. As Dr. Corning puts it, “Nothing about the evolution of biological complexity makes sense except in the light of synergy… Life on Earth has been a synergistic phenomenon from the get go.” He also shows how synergy has been a key to human evolution, including the rise of complex modern societies. He describes our evolution as a cooperative, entrepreneurial process that he calls the “Self-Made Man” scenario. “Cooperation may have been the vehicle, but synergy was the driver.”
Does Our Species Have a Future?
Dr. Peter Corning’s New Book Redefines What Evolution Can Teach Us About How the World Works
by PR for People Team
Launch Date: Thursday, March 15, 2018