Why Do We All Behave In The Way We Do?: The Secrets of Life - From Big Bang to Trump

The Secrets of Life #3

by S.S. O'Connor

Why is life like a poker game? How did a failed robbery help to explain human nature? Why are we so certain bad men will win - and yet we're so wrong? In this, the third volume of The Secrets of Life quartet, SS O'Connor once more uses his easy-going, conversational style to explain how the science of decision analysis developed, and why it has come to show us not only the reasoning behind how humans arrive at their choices in life, but why so much of the apparently bizarre behaviour of the natural world has the same hard logic to it. Instead of the confusion and chaos one might expect, O'Connor lays out how the options organisms face when they interact can actually be analysed, and how we humans then refined this process through the addition of our intelligence and language skills. Starting with the extraordinary new ways of thinking that Adam Smith opened the world's eyes to, the book progresses to the 20th century - and shows how the mathematical reasoning behind our thought processes was revealed at a time when the very future of the world was at stake. From these earliest investigations, through to the fevered disagreements of later experts, this third volume of the Secrets of Life series explains how the science of game theory illuminates the reasons for our behaviour. In particular, the book provides insights into how the interests of the individual should be balanced against those of the group, and why the mechanism of trading would extend far further into our lives than we could ever have imagined. As the story unfolds it becomes ever clearer how cooperation has evolved to be the catalyst at every level of life. It explains how it was the force that built our world, and why it would settle so deeply in our hardwiring that it's become instinctive and innate in us. Perhaps most pleasingly, the same logic also shows that the benefits of collaboration are always bound to ratchet upwards - and how this will inevitably lead humans to ever-increasing levels of moral behaviour.

357 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 5, 2023

Reviews

[EdenB15 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great book in the series by SS’O Connor.Really insightful and learnt a lot which im going to share now with my family! Definitely would recommend this book to all ages and thank you to Literally PR for sending me a copy of this book

[Martin Treanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just put down the third book in S S O’Connor’s Secrets of Life series: Why Do We All Behave In The Way We Do? and, as with the first two books: How Did Life End Up With Us? and How Did We Get To Be So Different?, I am pleased to say it lived up to expectations.

The author takes us on a journey of the behavioural mind, from Adam Smith, through Game Theory, up to modern thought on human objectives, and how society and societies respond to the various challenges life throws at us:

- Is it better that the collective works as one?
- Do societies break up and form smaller groups?
- Are we conditioned by genetics to cooperate?
- Is the individual the centre of their own universe?
- If left alone, will societies inherently work together for the common good?

By way of the greatest thinkers on such subjects, the book addresses questions, delivering us to the point where, to some extent, we humans are linked to the gene more than we may think.

As with the first two books in the series, this one is well-written and often humorous and – although it delves into recent (well, 250 odd years) thinking on the subject of human behaviour – the book doesn’t get bogged down in illustrating its research at the expense of making an interesting read.

Taking the works of those considered experts in the field, the author looks into their theories, and raises certain questions as to whether we and the gene, in our subconscious race to delay entropy, are not so different after all.

Perhaps there is an overlying philosophy on human behaviour. And this book opens the door to that investigation.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. And look forward to getting stuck into number four.

[Gillian Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is bursting with questions on human behaviour. S S O’Connor investigates the answers by researching the works of revered philosophers, professors, mathematicians, and economists. The minds of these people are staggering. To name but a few, there is Adam Smith, John Von Neumann, Lin Ostrom and Martin Nowak. Each person’s work is equally enthralling. Some of these theories, however, were a bit hard to swallow, such as those of Professor Garrett Hardin. In 1968, Hardin wrote his paper entitled, The Tragedy of the Commons - this was a theory of how humans have come to the point of natural disasters. To quote SS O'Connor on Hardin's theory,
'Phew. Strong stuff, even then.'
Within this book, there are so many opinions, discoveries, and great topics for debate. If, like me, you’ve never heard of the Hawk/Dove Principle or The Prisoner’s Dilemma - then get this book! Why Do We All Behave In The Way We Do? definitely gets the reader thinking.
I’ve looked at computers and the age of the internet and cannot even begin to think how this all came about. Then, I read this book and discovered John Von Neumann, aka ‘the best brain in the world’. Many general computers are based on ‘Von Neumann architecture’, which in laymen’s terms, is a design model for computers. S S O’Connor talks about Von Neumann’s fascination and ultimate research into human behaviour and how ‘we’ interact. To quote SS O’Connor on Von Neumann:
'John Von Neumann was convinced that he could pick this wildly complicated picture of strategic interaction apart.’
Once again, S S O’Connor has tackled a subject with humour and detail and in a language which is easy to follow and digest.

[Zara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and independent voluntary review. Thank you to SS O'Connor and Literally PR for my copy.

"The Secrets of Life: From Big Bang to Trump" is a non-fiction series by SS O'Connor which answers all the big science questions in a digestible, easy-to-understand manner. "Why Do We All Behave In The Way We Do?" is the third book in this series.

In the first two books, we have explored The Big Bang, thermodynamics, and what sets humans apart from all other beings that have ever existed.

Of the three books in the series so far, 'Why Do We All Behave In The Way We Do?' is definitely my favourite and is a fascinating, eye-opening read.

Focusing on the different theories of human behaviour, SS O'Connor looks at the works of experts in the field of human evolution and behaviour, diving deep into their theories, and coming up with many questions, facts and points of view.

I enjoyed the variety of topics included, including how the Game Theory developed, why it's sometimes rational to be irrational, why animals help each other, and the Prisoner's Dilemma. The book's content gets you thinking and challenges your mind.

The book is well-written, detailed and feels academic, but is light-hearted and easy to get to grips with, and is a book that will start discussions and debates around the dinner table for years to come.

I'm looking forward to the fourth and final book in the series and seeing how everything is bought together.

[The Book Elf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in a series of four books spanning The Secrets of Life from the Big Bang to Trump by SS O' Connor and is told in a very witty, tongue in cheek narrative starting with Adam Smith and his philosophical ideas on Game Theory and how all aspects of humanity and other forms in nature show concepts of this theory in our everyday lives. The book follows through, in Fifteen chapters,fomr Adam Smith to Karl Sigmund in 1983 who takes the principles of Game Theory and turns it around. There are many memorable quotes in the book but one that particularly stands out for me is "Can it ever pay to be nice in a world of selfish individuals

The book is written in such a way that everyone can take an understanding away from it , whether or not they have an interest in Mathematics or Economics or not which is where you will often find the principles of Game Theory being applied. I personally read the book one chapter at a time and then had a break whilst I thought about what I had just read and how I could apply the theories to different aspects of life and nature. Consequently this had me thinking about a wide variety of life from different perspectives and questioning what I thought I knew and looking at issues from a different dimension which is actually a very healthy thing to do .

For me this was a very thought provoking book and it will be interesting to see how the fourth, and final, book in the series follows on.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Interesting read this one, part three of a quart series. Why do we all behave how we do? Well life gives us choices, we all have to make decisions on the simplest of tasks in our every day. Here we take a look at the reasoning behind those choices and how we come to the end decision. Not just humans but any organism out there, behaves in a certain way. Humans are indeed advantageous with language and mobility but we are influenced heavily by people, news, views and experiences.
Lots of questions and theories here but certainly food for thought and raises conversational discussions or further questions from reading it. Nothing like a healthy debate over dinner !
An interesting read.
Again a nice cover, very colourful and soft.
Many thanks to team LiterallyPR for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why Do We All Behave the Way We Do? is the third book in the four book series, Secrets of Life. In each book, author S.S. O'Connor tackles all sorts of topics. This installment focuses on human behavior. The author introduces the reader to many different historical figures (i.e: Adam Smith) and the theories these figures worked on. My favorite to read about was the theory on Prisoner's Dilemma. The author explained everything in a very easy to understand way, while also sounding like academic text.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this installment. Thank you LiterallyPR for sending this my way.

[Sophie Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting and insightful book which assesses human behaviours and decisions in an academic yet accessible way. The discussions cover philosophy, economics and science and make the reader aware of how different subject areas are interlinked.
I found it interesting and learnt a lot too!

Thanks to literally PR for my copy.