Evolution and the Theory of Games

Evolution and the Theory of Games
Author: John Maynard Smith
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 244
Release: 1982-10-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521288842

This 1982 book is an account of an alternative way of thinking about evolution and the theory of games.

Games of Life

Games of Life
Author: Karl Sigmund
Publisher: Courier Dover Publications
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2017-08-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0486824802

Accessible, informative, and enjoyable treatment discusses the application of the ideas and methods of game theory and mathematical modeling to such areas as evolution, sex, animal behavior, and aggression. "Excellent." — Nature

Evolution and Human Sexual Behavior

Evolution and Human Sexual Behavior
Author: Peter B. Gray
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 448
Release: 2013-04-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0674074394

Few things come more naturally to us than sex—or so it would seem. Yet to a chimpanzee, the sexual practices and customs we take for granted would appear odd indeed. He or she might wonder why we bother with inconveniences like clothes, why we prefer to make love on a bed, and why we fuss so needlessly over privacy. Evolution and Human Sexual Behavior invites us into the thought-experiment of imagining human sex from the vantage point of our primate cousins, in order to underscore the role of evolution in shaping all that happens, biologically and behaviorally, when romantic passions are aroused. Peter Gray and Justin Garcia provide an interdisciplinary synthesis that draws on the latest discoveries in evolutionary theory, genetics, neuroscience, comparative primate research, and cross-cultural sexuality studies. They are our guides through an exploration of the patterns and variations that exist in human sexuality, in chapters covering topics ranging from the evolution of sex differences and reproductive physiology to the origins of sexual play, monogamous unions, and the facts and fictions surrounding orgasm. Intended for generally curious readers of all stripes, this up-to-date, one-volume survey of the evolutionary science of human sexual behavior explains why sexuality has remained a core fascination of human beings throughout time and across cultures.

Sex, Evolution, and Behavior

Sex, Evolution, and Behavior
Author: Martin Daly
Publisher:
Total Pages: 420
Release: 1983
Genre: Psychology
ISBN:

This text provides an elementary level discussion of recent theory relating to the evolutionary and adaptive aspects of reproductive behaviour. The relation between ultimate and proximate levels of explanation is the major theme of the book. Two new chapters in this edition incorporate findings from recent research and there is also new material on humans, physiology, and development. Sex and reproductive behaviour are examined from an evolutionary comparative perspective and numerous empirical studies and examples are cited.

Sex, Genes & Rock 'n' Roll

Sex, Genes & Rock 'n' Roll
Author: Rob Brooks
Publisher: UPNE
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2011
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1611682371

Explains how evolution and genetics affect how we experience modern life.

Evolution's Rainbow

Evolution's Rainbow
Author: Joan Roughgarden
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 491
Release: 2013-09-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0520957970

In this innovative celebration of diversity and affirmation of individuality in animals and humans, Joan Roughgarden challenges accepted wisdom about gender identity and sexual orientation. A distinguished evolutionary biologist, Roughgarden takes on the medical establishment, the Bible, social science—and even Darwin himself. She leads the reader through a fascinating discussion of diversity in gender and sexuality among fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals, including primates. Evolution's Rainbow explains how this diversity develops from the action of genes and hormones and how people come to differ from each other in all aspects of body and behavior. Roughgarden reconstructs primary science in light of feminist, gay, and transgender criticism and redefines our understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality. Witty, playful, and daring, this book will revolutionize our understanding of sexuality. Roughgarden argues that principal elements of Darwinian sexual selection theory are false and suggests a new theory that emphasizes social inclusion and control of access to resources and mating opportunity. She disputes a range of scientific and medical concepts, including Wilson's genetic determinism of behavior, evolutionary psychology, the existence of a gay gene, the role of parenting in determining gender identity, and Dawkins's "selfish gene" as the driver of natural selection. She dares social science to respect the agency and rationality of diverse people; shows that many cultures across the world and throughout history accommodate people we label today as lesbian, gay, and transgendered; and calls on the Christian religion to acknowledge the Bible's many passages endorsing diversity in gender and sexuality. Evolution's Rainbow concludes with bold recommendations for improving education in biology, psychology, and medicine; for democratizing genetic engineering and medical practice; and for building a public monument to affirm diversity as one of our nation's defining principles.

The Mating Mind

The Mating Mind
Author: Geoffrey Miller
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 530
Release: 2011-12-21
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0307813746

At once a pioneering study of evolution and an accessible and lively reading experience, a book that 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.

Sex, Time, and Power

Sex, Time, and Power
Author: Leonard Shlain
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2004-08-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1101200391

As in the bestselling The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, Leonard Shlain’s provocative new book promises to change the way readers view themselves and where they came from. Sex, Time, and Power offers a tantalizing answer to an age-old question: Why did big-brained Homo sapiens suddenly emerge some 150,000 years ago? The key, according to Shlain, is female sexuality. Drawing on an awesome breadth of research, he shows how, long ago, the narrowness of the newly bipedal human female’s pelvis and the increasing size of infants’ heads precipitated a crisis for the species. Natural selection allowed for the adaptation of the human female to this environmental stress by reconfiguring her hormonal cycles, entraining them with the periodicity of the moon. The results, however, did much more than ensure our existence; they imbued women with the concept of time, and gave them control over sex—a power that males sought to reclaim. And the possibility of achieving immortality through heirs drove men to construct patriarchal cultures that went on to dominate so much of human history. From the nature of courtship to the evolution of language, Shlain’s brilliant and wide-ranging exploration stimulates new thinking about very old matters.

The Origins of Unfairness

The Origins of Unfairness
Author: Cailin O'Connor
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2019
Genre: Equality
ISBN: 0198789971

In almost every human society some people get more and others get less. Why is inequity the rule in these societies? In The Origins of Unfairness, philosopher Cailin O'Connor firstly considers how groups are divided into social categories, like gender, race, and religion, to address this question. She uses the formal frameworks of game theory and evolutionary game theory to explore the cultural evolution of the conventions which piggyback on these seemingly irrelevant social categories. These frameworks elucidate a variety of topics from the innateness of gender differences, to collaboration in academia, to household bargaining, to minority disadvantage, to homophily. They help to show how inequity can emerge from simple processes of cultural change in groups with gender and racial categories, and under a wide array of situations. The process of learning conventions of coordination and resource division is such that some groups will tend to get more and others less. O'Connor offers solutions to such problems of coordination and resource division and also shows why we need to think of inequity as part of an ever evolving process. Surprisingly minimal conditions are needed to robustly produce phenomena related to inequity and, once inequity emerges in these models, it takes very little for it to persist indefinitely. Thus, those concerned with social justice must remain vigilant against the dynamic forces that push towards inequity.