John Maynard Smith
Biographic Data
| ID | 3874325 |
|---|---|
| NAME | John Maynard Smith |
| GIVEN NAMES | John Maynard |
| FAMILY NAME | Smith |
| SIGNATURE | SMITH J M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Sussex |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 38 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1964 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Did Darwin Get It Right?
Animal Signals
Why are animal signals reliable? This is the central problem for evolutionary biologists interested in signals. Of course, not all signals are reliable; but most are, otherwise receivers of signals would ignore them. A number of theoretical answers have been proposed and empirical studies made, but there still remains a considerable amount of confusion. The authors, one a theoretician the other a fieldworker, introduce a sense of order to this ch…
The Concept of Information in Biology
The use of informational terms is widespread in molecular and developmental biology. The usage dates back to Weismann. In both protein synthesis and in later development, genes are symbols, in that there is no necessary connection between their form (sequence) and their effects. The sequence of a gene has been determined, by past natural selection, because of the effects it produces. In biology, the use of informational terms implies intentionali…
Reply to Commentaries
Inevitably, much of this reply will concern points on which I disagree with one or other of the commentators. I should start, therefore, by saying that I am delighted to find that their thinking is in many ways similar to my own, and that a serious attempt is under way to clarify the concept of information in biology
Did Darwin Get It Right
Commentary
The Major Transitions in Evolution
Over the history of life there have been several major changes in the way genetic information is organized and transmitted from one generation to the next. These transitions include the origin of life itself, the first eukaryotic cells, reproduction by sexual means, the appearance of multicellular plants and animals, the emergence of cooperation and of animal societies, and the unique language ability of humans. This ambitious book provides the f…
Did Darwin Get It Right?
Evolution and the Theory of Games
Developmental Constraints and Evolution
Developmental constraints (defined as biases on the production of variant phenotypes or limitations on phenotypic variability caused by the structure, character, composition, or dynamics of the developmental system) undoubtedly play a significant role in evolution. Yet there is little agreement on their importance as compared with selection, drift, and other such factors in shaping evolutionary history. This review distinguishes between "universa…
The Sociobiology of Sex and Sexes Today [and Comments and Reply]
Three problems pertaining to sex and sexes-why sex exists at all, why there should normally be two mating types in a sexual species, and why the two should so often be dimorphic (take the form of male and female)-have created a crisis in evolutionary theory. This paper contains a sketch of these puzzles and some opinions about the direction in which solutions are likely to be found, including a new theory of sex chromosome morphology and activity…
Polygyny and Inheritance of Wealth [and Comments and Replies]
Cross-cultural data are used to test the hypotheses that (1) polygyny in humans is resource polygyny and (2) parents transfer wealth to male heirs when wealth increases the heirs' chance of obtaining multiple mates. A reinterpretation of Freud's Oedipus complex follows as an adjunct
Evolution and the Theory of Games
In this 1982 book, the theory of games, first developed to analyse economic behaviour, is modified so that it can be applied to evolving populations. John Maynard Smith's concept of an evolutionarily stable strategy is relevant whenever the best thing for an animal or plant to do depends on what others are doing. The theory leads to testable predictions about the evolution of behaviour, of sex and genetic systems, and of growth and life history p…
Towards a New Theory of the Origin of the Family [and Comments and Reply]
The emergence of the monogamous family in human societies is not satisfactorily explained by traditional theories of its "natural" character or economic origins. This paper proposes a new theory based on sociobiological studies of altruism, a behaviour well-known in man and nonhuman primates. The starting point is the evolution of altruism, a behaviour which increases the chance of survival of the recipient at some cost to the performer. Altruism…
The logic of asymmetric contests
The Logic of Animal Conflict
The Interrelation between Genetics and the Social Sciences
J. M. Thoday, G. A. Harrison, W. Brass, J. A. Fraser Roberts, D. V. Glass, J. Maynard Smith, J. E. Meade, E. A. Wrigley, The Interrelation between Genetics and the Social Sciences, Population Studies, Vol. 24, Toward a Population Policy for the United Kingdom: Supplement (May, 1970), pp. 49-54
Group Selection and Kin Selection
The Concept of Information in Biology
The use of informational terms is widespread in molecular and developmental biology. The usage dates back to Weismann. In both protein synthesis and in later development, genes are symbols, in that there is no necessary connection between their form (sequence) and their effects. The sequence of a gene has been determined, by past natural selection, because of the effects it produces. In biology, the use of informational terms implies intentionali…
Towards a New Theory of the Origin of the Family [and Comments and Reply]
The emergence of the monogamous family in human societies is not satisfactorily explained by traditional theories of its "natural" character or economic origins. This paper proposes a new theory based on sociobiological studies of altruism, a behaviour well-known in man and nonhuman primates. The starting point is the evolution of altruism, a behaviour which increases the chance of survival of the recipient at some cost to the performer. Altruism…
Reply to Commentaries
Inevitably, much of this reply will concern points on which I disagree with one or other of the commentators. I should start, therefore, by saying that I am delighted to find that their thinking is in many ways similar to my own, and that a serious attempt is under way to clarify the concept of information in biology
The Interrelation between Genetics and the Social Sciences
J. M. Thoday, G. A. Harrison, W. Brass, J. A. Fraser Roberts, D. V. Glass, J. Maynard Smith, J. E. Meade, E. A. Wrigley, The Interrelation between Genetics and the Social Sciences, Population Studies, Vol. 24, Toward a Population Policy for the United Kingdom: Supplement (May, 1970), pp. 49-54
The Sociobiology of Sex and Sexes Today [and Comments and Reply]
Three problems pertaining to sex and sexes-why sex exists at all, why there should normally be two mating types in a sexual species, and why the two should so often be dimorphic (take the form of male and female)-have created a crisis in evolutionary theory. This paper contains a sketch of these puzzles and some opinions about the direction in which solutions are likely to be found, including a new theory of sex chromosome morphology and activity…
Group Selection and Kin Selection
The Interrelation between Genetics and the Social Sciences
J. M. Thoday, G. A. Harrison, W. Brass, J. A. Fraser Roberts, D. V. Glass, J. Maynard Smith, J. E. Meade, E. A. Wrigley, The Interrelation between Genetics and the Social Sciences, Population Studies, Vol. 24, Toward a Population Policy for the United Kingdom: Supplement (May, 1970), pp. 49-54
The Logic of Animal Conflict
The logic of asymmetric contests
Towards a New Theory of the Origin of the Family [and Comments and Reply]
The emergence of the monogamous family in human societies is not satisfactorily explained by traditional theories of its "natural" character or economic origins. This paper proposes a new theory based on sociobiological studies of altruism, a behaviour well-known in man and nonhuman primates. The starting point is the evolution of altruism, a behaviour which increases the chance of survival of the recipient at some cost to the performer. Altruism…
Polygyny and Inheritance of Wealth [and Comments and Replies]
Cross-cultural data are used to test the hypotheses that (1) polygyny in humans is resource polygyny and (2) parents transfer wealth to male heirs when wealth increases the heirs' chance of obtaining multiple mates. A reinterpretation of Freud's Oedipus complex follows as an adjunct
Evolution and the Theory of Games
In this 1982 book, the theory of games, first developed to analyse economic behaviour, is modified so that it can be applied to evolving populations. John Maynard Smith's concept of an evolutionarily stable strategy is relevant whenever the best thing for an animal or plant to do depends on what others are doing. The theory leads to testable predictions about the evolution of behaviour, of sex and genetic systems, and of growth and life history p…
The Sociobiology of Sex and Sexes Today [and Comments and Reply]
Three problems pertaining to sex and sexes-why sex exists at all, why there should normally be two mating types in a sexual species, and why the two should so often be dimorphic (take the form of male and female)-have created a crisis in evolutionary theory. This paper contains a sketch of these puzzles and some opinions about the direction in which solutions are likely to be found, including a new theory of sex chromosome morphology and activity…
Developmental Constraints and Evolution
Developmental constraints (defined as biases on the production of variant phenotypes or limitations on phenotypic variability caused by the structure, character, composition, or dynamics of the developmental system) undoubtedly play a significant role in evolution. Yet there is little agreement on their importance as compared with selection, drift, and other such factors in shaping evolutionary history. This review distinguishes between "universa…
Evolution and the Theory of Games
Did Darwin Get It Right?
Commentary
The Major Transitions in Evolution
Over the history of life there have been several major changes in the way genetic information is organized and transmitted from one generation to the next. These transitions include the origin of life itself, the first eukaryotic cells, reproduction by sexual means, the appearance of multicellular plants and animals, the emergence of cooperation and of animal societies, and the unique language ability of humans. This ambitious book provides the f…
Did Darwin Get It Right
The Concept of Information in Biology
The use of informational terms is widespread in molecular and developmental biology. The usage dates back to Weismann. In both protein synthesis and in later development, genes are symbols, in that there is no necessary connection between their form (sequence) and their effects. The sequence of a gene has been determined, by past natural selection, because of the effects it produces. In biology, the use of informational terms implies intentionali…
Reply to Commentaries
Inevitably, much of this reply will concern points on which I disagree with one or other of the commentators. I should start, therefore, by saying that I am delighted to find that their thinking is in many ways similar to my own, and that a serious attempt is under way to clarify the concept of information in biology
Animal Signals
Why are animal signals reliable? This is the central problem for evolutionary biologists interested in signals. Of course, not all signals are reliable; but most are, otherwise receivers of signals would ignore them. A number of theoretical answers have been proposed and empirical studies made, but there still remains a considerable amount of confusion. The authors, one a theoretician the other a fieldworker, introduce a sense of order to this ch…
Did Darwin Get It Right?
Biology (12 works) · Computer Science (12 works) · Epistemology (9 works) · Philosophy (9 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Evolutionary biology (7 works) · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation (7 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Artificial Intelligence (6 works) · Genetics (6 works)