Samir Okasha - Evolution and Rationality: Decisions, Co-operation and Strategic Behaviour

This volume explores from multiple perspectives the subtle and interesting relationship between the theory of rational choice and Darwinian evolution. In rational choice theory, agents are assumed to make choices that maximize their utility; in evolution, natural selection chooses between phenotypes according to the criterion of fitness maximization. So there is a parallel between utility in rational choice theory, and fitness in Darwinian theory. This conceptual link between fitness and utility is mirrored by the interesting parallels between formal models of evolution and rational choice. The essays in this volume, by leading philosophers, economists, biologists and psychologists, explore the connection between evolution and rational choice in a number of different contexts, including choice under uncertainty, strategic decision making and prosocial behaviour. They will be of interest to students and researchers in philosophy of science, evolutionary biology, economics and psychology.

SAMIR OKASHA is Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Bristol. He is the author of Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction (2002) and Evolution and the Levels of Selection (2006).

KEN BINMORE is Professor Emeritus of Economics at University College, London, and a Visiting Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Bristol. He is the author of Natural Justice (2005), Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction (2007), and Rational Decisions (2008).

There exist deep and interesting connections, both thematic and formal, between evolutionary theory and the theory of rational choice, despite their apparently different subject matters. These connections arise because a notion of optimization or maximization is central to both areas. In rational choice theory, agents are assumed to make choices that maximize their utility, while in evolutionary theory, natural selection chooses between alternative phenotypes, or genes, according to the criterion of fitness maximization. As a result, evolved organisms often exhibit behavioural choices that appear designed to maximize their fitness, which suggests that the principles of rational choice might be applicable to them. This conceptual link between evolution and rational choice explains the fascinating exchange of ideas between evolutionary biology and economics that has taken place in the last forty years, particularly in relation to decision making under uncertainty, and strategic interaction.

The chapters in this book all deal with aspects of the evolution/rationality relationship, from a range of perspectives. The book emerged from a series of workshops and conferences held at the University of Bristol between 2008 and 2011, under the auspices of the Evolution, Cooperation and Rationality research project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council of the UK and directed by ourselves. The project examined foundational and conceptual issues arising from recent work on social behaviour, decision making and strategic interaction, and had a strongly interdisciplinary orientation. This is reflected in the composition of the book the authors include leading researchers in evolutionary biology, philosophy of science, experimental economics, game theory and psychology. The result illustrates the rich diversity of approaches to the study of evolution and rationality, and, we hope, will help promote constructive dialogue between them.