The PRC's Rise and the Life Sciences

• In Event: Evolutionary Approaches to Politics

Abstract

This paper addresses the growing power of the PRC in international politics from a life science perspective. The central arguments are that the evolutionary argument demonstrates considerable insight into what makes the PRC's rise unique and similar to previous historical examples of power transition. As in evolution, in international politics, there is adaptation, a selection mechanism, and a standard of success as demonstrated by the prodigious growth of China's power. The approach also illuminates significant dangers for international stability for its rise including ethnocentrism, xenophobia, and strong in-group/out-group biases. When China's rise is viewed through the lens of evolution, a deeper assessment of the adverse consequences may be perceived.

Author

• Bradley A. Thayer