What It Means to Be Human
The Enigma of Altruism
The Enigma of Altruism
Friday, June 12, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Though many animals display cooperative behavior, human cooperation is distinct. Alan Alda hosts E.O. Wilson, Sarah Hrdy and other leading evolutionary biologists, anthropologists and humanitarians as they examine the origins and evolution of human cooperative behavior.
Moderator
Alan Alda
Participants:
Alan Alda, a six-time Emmy Award–winner, played Hawkeye Pierce on the classic television series, M*A*S*H, and, more recently, appeared in continuing roles on ER, The West Wing, and 30 Rock. Altogether, he has been nominated for the Emmy 33 times - as actor, writer, and director. In 1994, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Rob Boyd is Professor of Anthropology at UCLA. He studies the evolution of cooperation in large groups, and is the co-author of numerous books on cultural evolution, including Not By Genes Alone.
Sarah Hrdy is Professor Emerita at the University of California, Davis. An award-winning author, Dr. Hrdy’s latest book is Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding.
Dominic Johnson received a D.Phil. in evolutionary biology from Oxford University and a Ph.D. in political science from Geneva University. He draws on both disciplines in his work on the role of religion in the evolution of cooperative behavior, the role of evolutionary psychology in political decision-making, and how evolutionarily-based lessons from Nature can help us improve human security in the face of threats like climate change, natural disasters, and terrorism.
Xavier LePichon is Professor and Chair of the Department of Geophysics at the College de France in Aix en Provence. In addition to his groundbreaking work in geophysics and plate tectonics, Prof. LePichon has done extensive research on human compassionate behavior and how society is structured counter-intuitively to the laws of natural selection.
E.O. Wilson is a life-long explorer of the natural world whose pioneering studies of ants have led to revolutionary insights across a wide range of fields, from evolution to animal and human behavior. A founding father of the environmental movement, Wilson teaches us to understand, protect, and celebrate the earth and has greatly influenced the way scientists and nonscientists view the interwoven complexity and diversity of our planet.Venue
NYU Skirball CenterThis event made possible with the support of
as part of the Big Ideas Series
