Herbert Gintis

HERBERT GINTIS

Northampton, MA - Herbert Malena Gintis died in Northampton on January 5, following an illness. He was 82.

A Harvard-educated economist who studied behavioral science through a sociobiological lens, he sought to understand human behavior via an interdisciplinary approach addressing aspects of human society including altruism and cooperation, game theory, and human capital theory.

The son of Gerson and Shirley (Malena) Gintis, Herb was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and then attended Harvard University for post-graduate work in mathematics. After receiving his master's degree, he grew disillusioned with the field, and while at Harvard, became a sandal maker with a shop in Harvard Square. He became active in the student protest movement and grew increasingly interested in Marxism and economics. He switched his Ph.D. program at Harvard from mathematics to economics. After graduation, he was hired as an assistant professor by Harvard's Graduate School of Education and then the university's economics department, where he would become an associate professor.

It was during his postgraduate studies that Herb met economist Samuel Bowles and began a collaboration that lasted throughout their careers. In 1974 Herb and Bowles were both hired by the Economics Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Their landmark book, Schooling in Capitalist America, has had multiple editions in five languages since it was first published in 1976.

Herb's second joint book with Bowles, Democracy and Capitalism, was a critique of both liberalism and orthodox Marxism and outlined their vision of "postliberal democracy." Their most recent book, A Cooperative Species: Human Reciprocity and its Evolution, was published in 2011. From 1997 to 2006 Herb and anthropologist Robert Boyd co-chaired "Economic Environments and the Evolution of Norms and Preferences," a multidisciplinary research project funded by the MacArthur Foundation.

Herb retired from UMass Amherst as professor emeritus in 2003. In retirement, he was a visiting professor in the economics department of Central European University, University of Siena, and at the Santa Fe Institute.

Herb could often be seen with a mathematics text in hand during his downtime, and could impress on the piano. He had a warm smile, a quick sense of humor and a bold laugh. He and Marci traveled all over the world together during their 63 years of marriage, exploring art and ideas. He loved hosting friends and colleagues for gourmet meals and long, boisterous dinner conversations.

His mind always remained curious: in his remaining days he was studying quantum physics. Herb is survived by his wife Marci (née Griesler) and their son Daniel, and Herb's brother Murray Gintis.

A graveside service will be held Monday at 10:00am, Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst. Donations can be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. https://www.lls.org/ . CZELUSNIAK FUNERAL HOME IS IN CHARGE.