The Power of Mathematics, The Beauty of Life and Nature

The author is an applied mathematician with special interest in biology. The book is a summarized introduction of evolutionary cooperation for mass reading. The contents link together various subjects (e.g., prolife, cells, cancer, language, punishment vs. reward, societal network) the author has done via the threads of evolution -- e.g., genetic mutation, selection/competition and cooperation at multi-molecular and cellular levels, as well as in animal and human behaviors in the context of social networks.

The main idea the author has contributed is that cooperation, in addition to competition, is the alternative force of evolution. Such an idea is illustrated in this book by examples from experimental knowledge from molecular biology/basic medicine (e.g., cancer cells), zoology (e.g., ants), and economics (e.g., public goods and free rider); and also in more rigorous academic works from theoretical/mathematical modelling using game theory, set theory viewing human groups as sets, and graph theory depicting fluid movements of cooperators and defectors in the game of (biological or economic) life.

Such works bring a new idea of selfless “Cooperation” to selfish “Competition”, and theorize the moral component through such a rigorous way that has not been achieved for a long time. It adds something theoretically significant and novel to the conventional interpretation of Darwinian evolution, and of Adam Smith’s invisible hand. It rigorously tackles the very profound inquiry into such dialectical human nature. It might be easier and more likely to be accepted and consented by both pure scientists (e.g., mathematicians, biologists), social scientists (e.g., economists, political scientists), and even philosophers (e.g., ethicists, logicians, and linguisticians) from humanities.

Finally, I found similar career to the author’s – from medical ambition to molecular biology, socioeconomic issues, and finally mathematics while recognizing and embracing the power and beauty of math to formalize the similar beauty of natural patterns/laws. I was moved several times to tears while reading and sensing the deep reverence for life and the nature.