{"product_id":"paradox-of-the-organism-adaptation-and-internal-conflict","title":"Paradox of the Organism: Adaptation and Internal Conflict","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLeading 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.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHow 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Paradox of the Organism\u003c\/i\u003e 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? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe answers have immediate implications: for understanding miscarriage, treating cancer, improving psychological health, and preserving biodiversity. Challenging fundamental precepts of evolutionary theory, \u003ci\u003eThe Paradox of the Organism\u003c\/i\u003e offers an incisive account of life's extraordinary success.","brand":"Manus M Patten, J Arvid Ågren","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47611066613996,"sku":"9780674296381","price":56.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9780674296381.jpg?v=1778254912","url":"https:\/\/intl.allstora.com\/products\/paradox-of-the-organism-adaptation-and-internal-conflict","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}