Synopses & Reviews
In this cornerstone of modern liberal social theory, Peter Kropotkin states that the most effective human and animal communities are essentially cooperative, rather than competitive. Kropotkin based this classic on his observations of natural phenomena and history, forming a work of stunning and well-reasoned scholarship. Essential to the understanding of human evolution as well as social organization, it offers a powerful counterpoint to the tenets of Social Darwinism. It also cites persuasive evidence of human nature's innate compatibility with anarchist society.
"Kropotkin's basic argument is correct," noted evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould. "Struggle does occur in many modes, and some lead to cooperation among members of a species as the best pathway to advantage for individuals." Anthropologist Ashley Montagu declared that "Mutual Aid will never be any more out of date than will the Declaration of Independence. New facts may increasingly become available, but we can already see that they will serve largely to support Kropotkin's conclusion that 'in the ethical progress of man, mutual supportand#151;not mutual struggleand#151;has had the leading part.'" Physician and author Alex Comfort asserted that "Kropotkin profoundly influenced human biology by his theory of Mutual Aid. . . . He was one of the first systematic students of animal communities, and may be regarded as the founder of modern social ecology."
Synopsis
In this literary cornerstone of modern liberal social theory, Peter Kropotkin states that the most effective human and animal communities are essentially cooperative, rather than competitive. Kropotkin based this classic on his observations of natural phenomena and history, forming a work of stunning and well-reasoned scholarship. Essential to the understanding of human evolution as well as social organization, it offers a powerful counterpoint to the tenets of Social Darwinism. It also cites persuasive evidence of human nature's innate compatibility with anarchist society.
Synopsis
In a work of stunning and well-reasoned scholarship, a famous anarchist posits that the most effective human and animal communities are essentially cooperative, rather than competitive. Essential to the understanding of human evolution as well as social organization, this book offers a powerful counterpoint to the tenets of Social Darwinism.
Table of Contents
Preface to the 1914 Edition
Introduction
and#160; I.-II. Mutual Aid Among Animals
and#160; III. Mutual Aid Among Savages
and#160; IV. Mutual Aid Among the Barbarians
and#160; V.-VI. Mutual Aid in the Mediand#230;val City
and#160; VII.-VIII. Mutual Aid Amongst Ourselves
Conclusion
Appendix A
and#160; I. Swarms of Butterflies, Dragon-flies, etc.
and#160; II. The Ants
and#160; III. Nesting Associations
and#160; IV. Sociability of Animals
and#160; V. Checks to Over-Multiplication
and#160; VI. Adaptations to Avoid Competition
and#160; VII. The Origin of the Family
and#160; VIII. Destruction of Private Property on the Grave
and#160; IX. The "Undivided Family"
and#160; X. The Origin of the Guilds
and#160; XI. The Market and the Mediand#230;val City
and#160; XII. Mutual-Aid Arrangements in the Villages of Netherlands at the Present Day
Appendix B
and#160; The Struggle for Existence in Human Society by Thomas H. Huxley
Index