Patrick Bateson Book order

What role does playful behaviour take in animal and human development? Unravelling the different meanings of 'play', this book focuses on playful and non-aggressive behaviour in both animals and humans. The authors emphasise its significance for development, before examining the importance of playfulness to creativity and, in turn, to innovation.

The first book to clarify the relationship between plasticity and robustness in the context of development and evolution.

This work aims to explain the science of behavioural development, the biological and psychological processes that build an adult from a fertilized egg. It also explores the developmental cooking processes that give rise rise to individuals and considers in turn how these processes have evolved.