انتخاب‌های طبیعی: خودخواهی‌های نوع‌دوستانه، دروغ‌گویان صادق و دیگر واقعیت‌های تکامل

“Barash . . . brilliantly integrat[es] science, literature, and pop culture into elegant and insightful commentaries on the most interesting and important questions of our time. A delightful read.”—Michael Shermer, author of __The Science of Good and Evil__ “Entertaining and thought-provoking.”—Steven Pinker, author of __The Blank Slate__ If we are, in part, a product of our genes, can free will exist? Incisive and engaging, this indispensable tour of evolutionary biology runs the gamut of contemporary debates, from science and religion to our place in the universe. **David Barash** is the author of __The Myth of Monogamy__ and __Madame Bovary’s Ovaries__. He lives in Redmond, Washington.

what Happens When Evolutionary And Cultural Imperatives Clash, And What We Can Do About It.

kirkus Reviews

the Most Literate Popularizer Of Darwinism Since Thomas Huxley Visits Evolution's Dark Side, The Front-lines Where Biological Realities Clash With Cultural Idealism, And Returns With News Both Depressing And Cheering. The Latest From Barash (psychology/univ. Of Washington, Seattle; (madam Bovary's Ovaries: A Darwinian Look At Literature, 2005, Etc.) Bristles With Evidence Of His Wide Reading In The Western Canon. Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, Poe, Twain, Hardy, Both George And T. S. Eliot, Stephen Crane, Thomas Pynchon, Ian Mcewan, Barbara Kingsolver, Spongebob Squarepants And Others Make Appearances To Animate His Breezy Intellectual Tour. Here, Too, Are Barash's Customary Cool Critters From Elsewhere In The Animal Kingdom (worms That Reprogram The Brains Of Ants, Gang-raping Male Mallards) And Sensible Explanations Of Common Conundrums (why Dogs Are Easier To Toilet-train Than Humans, Why Males Of All Species Do Most Of The Murdering). He Takes Some Sly Shots At Creationists And Delivers Some Heavier Body Blows To The Bush Administration, But He Is Less Interested In Piling Up The Bodies Of His Adversaries Than In Exploring The Most Fundamental Questions Of Human Experience. Is It Hopeless, He Wonders, To Attempt To Combat Our Biology? Aren't Our Selfish Genes Always Going To Trump Our Social Consciences, Our Stewardship Of Our Families, Our Communities, Our Planet? Unfortunately, The Case For Hopelessness Is A Compelling One: Humans Didn't Spread Across And Dominate The Planet By Saying Please And Thank You. We Are All Time-travelers, Barash Writes, With One Foot Thrust Into The Cultural Present And The Other Stuck In The Biological Past. However, He Notes, We Are Probably The Onlyspecies Capable Of Rising Above Our Biology-and We'd Better Get On With It. A Journey To The Center Of Human Nature, Where The View Is Not Always Agreeable.

Contents 8 Seductions of Centrality 10 Evolutionary Design, or, Why Bad Things Have Happened to Perfectly Good Creatures (Including Ourselves) 17 Mainstream Misconceptions 22 Neither Leaps Nor Bounds 33 Who’s in Charge Here? 43 Material of Mind: A Surprising Homage to B. F. Skinner 50 Y B Conscious? 58 Intelligence 65 Let Us Reason Together 72 Believing Is Seeing 81 Evolutionary Existentialism and the Meaning of Life 87 The Tyranny of the Natural 99 Forbidden Knowledge? 105 Are We Selfish Altruists? Group-Oriented Individualists?(Or What?) 112 Dealing with Dilemmas: Personal Gain versus Public Good 119 The Ugly Underside of Altruism 127 Why Is Violence Such a “Guy Thing”? 137 One and a Half Cheers . . . 149 Honest Liars? 156 What Puts the Dys in Dystopia? 163 Evolution’s Odd Couple 174 Index 186 If we are, in part, a product of our genes, can free will exist? Incisive and engaging, this indispensable tour of evolutionary biology runs the gamut of contemporary debates, from science and religion to our place in the universe. -- From publisher's description Through a series of essays, the author discusses the conflict between cultural and biological evolution, covering intelligent design, gender differences, and the meaning of life while offering insight into the ethical aspects of civilization.