Human nature and the new Europe

About this book

On the invitation of the Gruter Institute for Law and Behavioral Research, an outstanding cast of U.S. and European scholars examine the significant role human nature plays in the direction and the increasing rate of change in Europe's political, economic, and legal systems. The contributors argue that our understanding and forecasting of social, political, and economic events are incomplete largely because we fail to consider crucial information about the biological bases of human behavior. Drawing upon major advances in biological science of the past forty years, the contributors explore those aspects of human nature that are manifest regardless of what political or economic system is in force. They detail the ways in which human nature produces tension, conflict, and, occasionally, cooperation and discuss how this applies to Europe's future. Human Nature and the New Europe provides a distinctive and important framework for understanding the current and future socio-politico-economic issues confronting Europe. It is essential reading for all European specialists as well as for the wide range of scholars interested in the intersection of human nature and socio-political behavior.