The Paradox of the Organism: Adaptation and Internal Conflict by Ã…gren, J. Arvid
The Paradox of the Organism: Adaptation and Internal Conflict by Ã…gren, J. Arvid

The Paradox of the Organism: Adaptation and Internal Conflict

Leading evolutionary theorists and philosophers come together to understand how organisms persist, even as they're riddled with...
$76.70 USD
$131.99 USD
$76.70 USD
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Author: J. Arvid Ã…gren
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: $76.70
The Paradox of the Organism: Adaptation and Internal Conflict by Ã…gren, J. Arvid

The Paradox of the Organism: Adaptation and Internal Conflict

$131.99 $76.70
The Paradox of the Organism: Adaptation and Internal Conflict by Ã…gren, J. Arvid

The Paradox of the Organism: Adaptation and Internal Conflict

$131.99 $76.70
Author: J. Arvid Ã…gren
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Description

Leading evolutionary theorists and philosophers come together to understand how organisms persist, even as they're riddled with internal conflict, from cancer cells to selfish genes.

How does a vast menagerie of organs, tissues, cells, and genes coalesce to form a unified organism? For centuries, biologists and philosophers have taken this astonishing feat for granted, treating it as a matter of divine will or evolutionary inevitability. Yet unity is hardly assured. From cancer cells to selfish genes, the body is riven by internal conflicts.

The Paradox of the Organism grapples with this puzzle. As the essays in this collection show, profound questions arise when we pierce the organismal veil and consider the self-replicating elements within. Is an organism really a cohesive agent that adapts to the ecosystem it inhabits? Or is an organism itself an ecosystem, within which individual components are engaged in a continuous arms race?

The answers have immediate implications: for understanding miscarriage, treating cancer, improving psychological health, and preserving biodiversity. Challenging fundamental precepts of evolutionary theory, The Paradox of the Organism offers an incisive account of life's extraordinary success.

Author: J. Arvid Ågren
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 12/16/2025
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.64lbs
Size: 9.33h x 6.54w x 1.28d
ISBN: 9780674296381


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 10/13/2025

About the Author
Patten, Manus M.: - Manus M. Patten is an evolutionary biologist whose research explores the consequences of conflict, both for organisms and for evolutionary theory. He is Teaching Professor in Biology at Georgetown University.Ågren, J. Arvid: - J. Arvid Ågren is Assistant Professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and Affiliated Researcher at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University. He is the author of The Gene's-Eye View of Evolution.
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