Title: The moral animal : evolutionary psychology and everyday life /
Authors: Wright, Robert, 1957-
Publisher: Pantheon Books,
Year: 1994
Subjects: Sociobiology; Genetic psychology; Human behavior; Behavior evolution; Evolutionary psychology; Behavior; Cultural Evolution; Biological Evolution; Genetics, Behavioral; Psychology; Selection, Genetic
Abstract: An accessible introduction to the science of evolutionary psychology and how it explains many aspects of human nature. Unlike many books on the topic, which focus on abstractions like kin selection, this book focuses on Darwinian explanations of why we are the way we are--emotionally and morally--and interweaves episodes from Darwin's own life as illuminating examples. Wright deals particularly well with explaining the reasons for the stereotypical dynamics of the three big "S's:" sex, siblings, and society.
Contents: Darwin comes of age -- Male and female -- Men and women -- The marriage market -- Darwin's marriage -- The Darwin plan for marital bliss -- Families -- Darwin and the savages -- Friends -- Darwin's conscience -- Darwin's delay -- Social status -- Deception and self-deception -- Darwin's triumph -- Darwinian (and Freudian) cynicism -- Evolutionary ethics -- Blaming the victim -- Darwin gets religion.