Barber (formerly psychology, Birmingham-Southern College) examines "reciprocal altruism," which is said to be an part of the process of evolution. Although this concept runs contrary to the generally-accepted Darwinian concept of the survival of the fittest, Barber points out that in bee society, drones exist only for the perpetuation of the colony and cannot be said to be furthering themselves as individuals. He also examines the mechanics of pack and pride behaviors, in which individuals cooperate to feed the group, and the altruism of celibate religious in praying and caring for others exclusively. He argues that humans are reared and educated to be kind and that in most societies those without altruism are criminals or even sociopaths. He advocates more study of evolutionary altruism as a powerful tool in correcting injustice and disparity and promoting intellectual fitness. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)