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Evolutionary theory is one of the most wide-ranging and inspiring scientific ideas, and it offers a battery of methods that can be used to interpret human behaviour. However, researchers disagree about the best ways to use evolution to explore humanity, and a number of schools of thought have emerged.
Sense and Nonsense, third edition, provides an introduction to the ideas, methods and findings of five such schools, namely sociobiology, human behavioural ecology, evolutionary psychology, cultural evolution and gene-culture coevolution. In this revised and updated edition of their successful monograph, Brown and Lala provide a balanced and rigorous analysis that scrutinises both the evolutionary arguments and the allegations of the critics, carefully guiding the reader through the mire of confusing terminology, claim, and counter-claim, and polemical statements.
This readable and informative introductory book will be of use to undergraduate and postgraduate students (for example in psychology, anthropology and zoology), as well as experts on one approach who would like to know more about the other perspectives and lay-persons interested in evolutionary explanations of human behaviour. Having completed the book, the reader will feel better placed to assess the legitimacy of claims made about human behaviour under the name of evolution and to make judgements as to what is sense and what is nonsense.
1. Sense and nonsense
2. A history of evolution and human behaviour
3. Human sociobiology
4. Human behavioural ecology
5. Evolutionary psychology
6. Cultural evolution
7. Gene-culture coevolution
8. Comparing and integrating approaches
Further Reading
References
Gillian R. Brown is a Professor in the School of Psychology & Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews, UK. Her research focuses on sex/gender differences in the behaviour and cognition of mammals, including humans, which she has studied from neuroendocrine, developmental and evolutionary perspectives. Research topics have included infant and adolescent behavioural development, parental investment, and mating strategies. She has formerly been Vice-President of the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Faculty Lead (Science & Medicine) for the University of St Andrews.
Kevin N. Lala (formerly Laland) is a Professor of Behavioural and Evolutionary Biology at the University of St Andrews, UK. His research encompasses a range of topics related to animal behaviour and evolution, particularly social learning, gene-culture coevolution, and niche construction. He has published 12 books and over 300 articles on these topics and is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Society of Biology. He is also a former President of both the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association and the Cultural Evolution Society.
"Lucid and balanced, Sense and Nonsense will hopefully reach a broad audience."
– Sarah B. Hrdy, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, University of California Davis
"Sense and Nonsense is the go-to book for anyone interested in how researchers have used evolutionary theory to explain human behaviour, psychology, society and culture. Brown and Lala expertly and accessibly guide readers through the controversial sociobiology debates of the 1970s, to the emergence of present-day fields such as evolutionary psychology and cultural evolution. They use up-to-date empirical case studies and highlight areas of genuine disagreement and discussion. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in or studying the human evolutionary sciences."
– Alex Mesoudi, Professor of Cultural Evolution, University of Exeter
"Sense and Nonsense provides a clear and concise introduction to the human evolutionary behavioural sciences. Its balanced approach, covering all sub-disciplines in the field, make it an ideal textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as a useful read for those already working in the discipline. Its engaging writing style will also appeal to anyone who wants to understand why humans do the things we do, given that we cannot wholly understand human behaviour without an evolutionary perspective. One of its most valuable features is the inclusion of both historical perspectives and critical reflections on the discipline. Readers will come away from the book armed with the information they need to form their own opinions on the rapidly growing, but often controversial, field of evolutionary approaches to human behaviour."
– Rebecca Sear, Professor, Centre for Culture and Evolution, Brunel University London
"Understanding the evolutionary roots of the behavior of humans and other animals is one of the highest profile scientific projects of our times, with pitfalls and controversies in proportion to the scope of its aspirations. In this third edition of their classic volume, Brown and Lala provide us with a ringside seat to debates in this ever-evolving field, merging historical analysis with up-to-the-minute insights about the present and future of the discipline. Sense and Nonsense is the ultimate insider's guide to the history of one of our most ambitious attempts to understand ourselves and our place on the planet."
– H. Clark Barrett, Professor of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles
