John Maynard Smith quotes
John Maynard Smith was a British evolutionary biologist and geneticist, renowned for his work in applying game theory to evolution. His insights helped shape the field of evolutionary biology, particularly in understanding animal behavior and evolutionarily stable strategies. He made significant contributions through both research and science communication. Here are 16 of his quotes:
Natural selection is the only workable explanation for the beautiful and compelling illusion of 'design' that pervades every living body and every organ. Knowledge of evolution may not be strictly useful in everyday commerce. You can live some sort of life and die without ever hearing the name of Darwin. But if, before you die, you want to understand why you lived in the first place, Darwinism is the one subject that you must study.
John Maynard Smith
The last decade has seen a steady increase in the application of concepts from the theory of games to the study of evolution. Fields as diverse as sex ratio theory, animal distribution, contest behaviour and reciprocal altruism have contributed to what is now emerging as a universal way of thinking about phenotypic evolution.
John Maynard Smith
The theory of games was first formalised by Von Neumann & Morgenstern (1953) in reference to human economic behaviour. Since that time, the theory has undergone extensive development... Sensibly enough, a central assumption of classical game theory is that the players will behave rationally, and according to some criterion of self-interest. Such an assumption would clearly be out of place in an evolutionary context. Instead, the criterion of rationality is replaced by that of population dynamics and stability, and the criterion of self-interest by Darwinian fitness.
John Maynard Smith
John Maynard Smith
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Occupation: British Scientist
Born: January 6, 1920
Died: April 19, 2004
Quotes count: 16
Wikipedia: John Maynard Smith
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