In this work, Robert Wright examines a science that has emerged from the work of evolutionary biologists and social scientists. Taking the life and work of the evolutionist Charles Darwin as his context, Wright seeks to demonstrate how Darwin's ideas have stood the test of time and retells — from the perspective of evolutionary psychology — the stories of Darwin's marriage, family, life and career. From this paradigm, Wright draws conclusions about the structure of our most basic preoccupations — sex, ambition, politics, justice — aiming to throw light on the background of these fundamental instincts, and to show why they are so important to us. The work poses questions about not only the biological bases for morality, but also the biological bases for amorality.
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About this author:
ROBERT WRIGHT is the author of The Moral Animal, Nonzero, and Three Scientists and Their Gods. The New York Times selected The Moral Animal as one of the ten best books of the year and the other two as notable books of the year.
Wright is a recipient of the National Magazine Award for Essay and Criticism and has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. A contributing editor at The New Republic, he has also written for Time, Slate, The Atlantic Monthly, and The New Yorker.
Wright has taught in the philosophy department at Princeton and the psychology department at the University of Pennsylvania, and is now a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and editor in chief of Bloggingheads.tv.
