Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think about Our Lives
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What is the biological reason for gossip?For laughter? For the creation of art?Why do dogs have curly tails?What can microbes tell us about morality?These and many other questions are tackled by renowned evolutionist David Sloan Wilson in this witty and groundbreaking new book. With stories that entertain as much as they inform, Wilson outlines the basic principles of evolution and shows how, properly understood, they can illuminate the length and breadth of creation, from the origin of life to the nature of religion. Now everyone can move beyond the sterile debates about creationism and intelligent design to share Darwin’s panoramic view of animal and human life, seamlessly connected to each other.Evolution, as Wilson explains, is not just about dinosaurs and human origins, but about why all species behave as they do—from beetles that devour their own young, to bees that function as a collective brain, to dogs that are smarter in some respects than our closest ape relatives. And basic evolutionary principles are also the foundation for humanity’s capacity for symbolic thought, culture, and morality.In example after example, Wilson sheds new light on Darwin’s grand theory and how it can be applied to daily life. By turns thoughtful, provocative, and daringly funny, Evolution for Everyone addresses some of the deepest philosophical and social issues of this or any age. In helping us come to a deeper understanding of human beings and our place in the world, it might also help us to improve that world. The New York Times - Natalie Angier Rather than catalog its successes, denounce its detractors or in any way present evolutionary theory as the province of expert tacticians like himself, Wilson invites readers inside and shows them how Darwinism is done, and at lesson s end urges us to go ahead, feel free to try it at home. The result is a sprightly, absorbing and charmingly earnest book that manages a minor miracle, the near-complete emulsifying of science and the real world, ingredients too often kept stubbornly, senselessly apart.
The Future Can Differ from the Past 1Clearing the Deck 11A Third Way of Thinking 17Prove It! 22Be Careful What You Wish For 28Monkey Madness 36How the Dog Got Its Curly Tail 42Dancing with Ghosts 51What Is the Function of a Can Opener? How Do You Know? 58Your Apprentice License 63Welcome Home, Prodigal Son 67Teaching the Experts 74Murder City 82How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Genetic Determinism 92They've Got Personality! 100The Beauty of Abraham Lincoln 115Love Thy Neighbor Microbe 125Groups All the Way Down 133Divided We Fall 139Winged Minds 144The Egalitarian Ape 153Across the Cooperation Divide 165The First Laugh 173The Vital Arts 182Dr. Doolittle Was Right 194How Many Inventors Does It Take to Make a Lightbulb? 202I Don't Know How It Works! 215Darwin's Cathedral 233IsThere Anyone Out There? Is There Anyone Up There? 254Ayn Rand: Religious Zealot 268The Social Intelligence of Nations, or, Evil Aliens Need Not Apply 283Mr. Beeper 296The Ecology of Good and Evil 305Mosquitoes Under the Bed 313The Return of the Amateur Scientist 322Bon Voyage 344Acknowledgments 351Notes 353Bibliography 367Web Sites 381Index 383
