Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution

By: Peter Kropotkin

Narrated by: Michael Richards

This 1902 essay collection by the Russian naturalist and anarchist philosopher Peter Kropotkin explore the role of mutually beneficial cooperation and reciprocity in the animal kingdom and human societies. It is an argument against theories of social Darwinism that emphasize competition and survival of the fittest, and against the romantic views of writers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau who thought that cooperation was motivated by universal love.

Public Domain (P)2019 Museum Audiobooks

Informative and hopeful

If we are to create a better world then ideas such as one’s conveyed in this book. I could go on but I couldn’t do the book justice so I’ll just say that you should read it :)

Very relevant to our current times

I love this collection of work. I especially loved the first sections about mutual aid amongst animals. The history of mutual aid among ancient humans up until Kropotkin’s time was fascinating too. It all still feels very relevant to our time now, and helps point a direction forward.