EVOLUTION AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR Darwinian Perspectives on Human Nature John Cartwright A Bradford Book The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachussetts 2000 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures xii List of Tables xvi Preface xviii Acknowledgements xxi 1. Historical Introduction: Evolution and Theories of Mind and Behaviour, Darwin and After 1 2. Darwin's Legacy 32 3. The Selfish Gene 57 4. Mating Behaviour: From Systems to Strategies 91 5. Sexual Selection 124 6. The Evolution of Brain Size 157 7. Language and the Modular Mind 192 8. Understanding Human Sexual Behaviour: Anthropological Approaches 212 9. Human Mate Choice: The Evolution Logic of Sexual Desire 234 10. Conflict within Families and Other Groups 261 11. Altruism, Cooperation and the Foundations of Culture 287 12. Epilogue: The Use and Abuse of Evolutionary Theory 320 Glossary 344 References 356 Index 371 FROM BACK COVER: The past decade has seen an upsurge of interest in the application of evolutionary thinking to the study of human behavior. This introductory text provides an overview of the key theoretical principles of human sociobiology and evolutionary psychology and shows how they illuminate the ways humans think and behave. The book takes as one of its main premises the idea that we think, feel, and act in ways that once enhanced the reproductive success of our ancestors. The book covers fundamental issues such as the origins and function of sexual reproduction, mating behavior, human mate choice, patterns of violence in families, altruistic behavior, the evolution of brain size and the origins of language, the modular mind, and the relationship between genes and culture. It also examines the larger implications of Darwinism for how we view ourselves as a species, and our sense of ourselves as a moral animal. The book includes a valuable historical introduction to evolutionary theories of behavior and concludes with an examination of the social and political ramifications of evolutionary thought. It contains numerous diagrams and illustrations, comprehensive references, summaries, and suggestions for further reading. John Cartwright is Senior Lecturer in Biology at Chester College, Britain. WHERE TO ORDER: The MIT Press Five Cambridge Center Cambridge, MA 02142-1493 Phone: 800-356-0343 Email: mitpress-orders@mit.edu Web site: mitpress.mit.edu Cost: $24.95 Paper (ISBN: 0262531704)
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