The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature
The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature by Geoffrey Miller
English | April 17, 2001 | ISBN: 038549517X, 0385495161 | 462 pages | PDF | 2.08 MB
English | April 17, 2001 | ISBN: 038549517X, 0385495161 | 462 pages | PDF | 2.08 MB
At once a pioneering study of evolution and an accessible and lively reading experience, The Mating Mind marks the arrival of a prescient and provocative new science writer. Psychologist Geoffrey Miller offers the most convincing–and radical–explanation for how and why the human mind evolved.
Consciousness, morality, creativity, language, and art: these are the traits that make us human. Scientists have traditionally explained these qualities as merely a side effect of surplus brain size, but Miller argues that they were sexual attractors, not side effects. He bases his argument on Darwin’ s theory of sexual selection, which until now has played second fiddle to Darwin’ s theory of natural selection, and draws on ideas and research from a wide range of fields, including psychology, economics, history, and pop culture. Witty, powerfully argued, and continually thought-provoking, The Mating Mind is a landmark in our understanding of our own species.