The Evolution of Beauty
 First Hardcover edition | |
| Author | Richard O. Prum |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
Publication date | 2017 |
| Media type | Print, e-book, audio |
| Pages | 448 pp. |
| ISBN | 978-0385537216 |
The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World—and Us is a 2017 book by the ornithologist and evolutionary biologist Richard O. Prum about the power of aesthetic mate choice, arguing it to be an important independent agent in evolution. Prum indicates that while Charles Darwin made this argument in The Descent of Man, published in 1871, the concept was sidelined and forgotten and the notion of natural selection being the sole driver of evolution took over. As an ornithologist, Prum describes many examples in avian evolution where aesthetics are preeminent. Prum proceeds to apply the principle of aesthetic evolution as an independent force in human evolution.[1]
Contents[edit]
Prum indicates that Darwin recognizing difficulties in the theory of natural selection advanced the view that sexual selection is an additional force in evolution and presented this argument in The Descent of Man. Alfred Russel Wallace, St. George Mivart and other early evolutionists helped to elevate natural selection as the only force in evolution and delegated sexual selection to a subsidiary role. It was argued that sexual selection was based on recognition of markers of survival fitness, so that, for instance in birds, male ornamentation advertises superior health.
Prum describes numerous examples in avian evolution where evolved traits seem to contradict selection of individual fitness. Examples are the decorative feathers of the male Great Argus, the dances of the male Red-capped Manakin, the flight patterns of the male Golden-winged Manakin. The wing structure of the male Club-winged Manakin demonstrates "decadence" as the wing is modulated for singing and less well adapted for flight. In all these examples female mate choice is at work. Prum follows Darwin in seeing sexual mate choice as being grounded in aesthetics; it is not linked to functionality.
In Prum's "Beauty Happens" hypothesis, mates may have arbitrary preferences for certain traits and their offspring inherit not only the traits but also the preference for them leading to a runaway co-evolution, a concept envisioned by Ronald Fisher a century ago. This self-organizing process will lead to a standard of beauty by itself without any adaptive benefit.
Mate choice can lead to sexual conflict when female sexual autonomy and male sexual control collide. Prum's chapter on duck sex shows how female ducks evolved having convoluted vaginas to protect themselves against effects of forced copulation. A description of bowerbird courtship demonstrates complex "artistic" constructions by males to lure female mates whereby these constructions seem to provide some sort of aesthetic value and safety for the female.
In the last third of the book, Prum looks at human evolution, specifically how female preferences may have shaped us as a species over time. Female and male desire and behavior co-evolved leading to pronounced secondary sexual characteristics, prolonged sex, sexual variety, and an uncoupling of sex and fertility. Prum's view of sexual selection helps to understand the development of homosexuality, monogamy, female orgasm, and capacity of sex outside of the fertile period.
Reception[edit]
David Dobbs indicates that Prum's view is controversial but that he makes his case with clarity, grace, and charm, namely that aesthetic courtship gives females sexual choice, autonomy and safety.[2] While he does not agree with all points, Adrian Barnett seems to like the new look at Darwin's work: "The problem is, it seems, that we all think we know Darwin. In fact, few of us go back to the original, instead taking for granted what other people say he said. In this case, it seems to have created a bit of validation by wish fulfilment: Darwin’s views on sexual selection, Prum says, have been 'laundered, re-tailored and cleaned-up for ideological purity'."[3] Ed Yong writes that Prum's book is an explicitly feminist book that is focused on female choice and observes that freedom of sexual choice arises from evolution and shapes evolution.[4]
Reception among evolutionary biologists has been less positive. Although Douglas Futuyma recommended the book as "marvelously interesting and well-written, sometimes erudite and sometimes humorous", he suggests that Prum mischaracterizes the views of evolutionary biologists and says that findings from theoretical population genetics undermine the fundamental premise of the book.[5] Jerry Coyne criticized an essay by Prum in The New York Times that was adapted from The Evolution of Beauty, stating that it is "both erroneous and confusing, for it misrepresents sexual selection, natural selection, and modern evolutionary theory."[6] He later described the book as a "mixed bag" but stated that the bad parts outweighed the good, and stated that Prum's arguments were "tendentious".[7] Evolutionary biologists Gerald Borgia and Gregory Ball state that Prum misrepresents opposition of scientists to the model of runaway selection and that he fails to make a case for its ubiquity.[8] Further, they claim Prum inappropriately injects politics into biology, conflating eugenics and genocide with female mate choice to encourage readers to accept his arguments on political rather than scientific grounds.[8] Gail Patricelli, Eileen Hebets, and Tamra Mendelson, while describing the book as containing "engaging descriptions of the natural world", criticize Prum's reasoning, description of modern sexual selection research, and conclusions.[9]
Awards[edit]
- New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year: Winner, 2017
- Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction: Finalist, 2018
References[edit]
- ^ Jabr, Ferris (January 9, 2019). "How Beauty Is Making Scientists Rethink Evolution - The extravagant splendor of the animal kingdom can't be explained by natural selection alone — so how did it come to be?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ David Dobbs (September 18, 2017). "Survival of the Prettiest". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ Adrian Barnett (May 3, 2017). "We may have the evolution of beauty completely wrong". New Scientist. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ Ed Yong (May 8, 2017). "How Beauty Evolves". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ Futuyma, Douglas J. (1 June 2018). "The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World—and Us. By Richard O. Prum. New York: Doubleday (Penguin Random House). $30.00. xi + 428 p. + 21 pl.; ill.; index. ISBN: 9780385537216 (hc); 9780385537223 (eb). 2017". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 93 (2): 150–151. doi:10.1086/698060.
- ^ "An evolutionary biologist misrepresents sexual selection in The New York Times". 8 May 2017.
- ^ "A new review (and critique) of Richard Prum's book on sexual selection". 30 August 2018.
- ^ a b Borgia, Gerald; Ball, Gregory F. (1 March 2018). "The evolution of beauty: how Darwin's forgotten theory of mate choice shapes the animal world—and us - The evolution of beauty: how Darwin's forgotten theory of mate choice shapes the animal world—and us, Richard O. Prum, Doubleday, New York (2017), p. 448, Price $30.00 hardback". Animal Behaviour. 137: 187–188. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.12.010.
- ^ Patricelli, Gail L.; Hebets, Eileen A.; Mendelson, Tamra C. (21 November 2018). "Book review of Prum, R.O." Evolution. doi:10.1111/evo.13629.
See this imageThe Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World - and Us Hardcover – 9 May 2017
by Richard O. Prum (Author)
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Product details
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: RANDOM HOUSE GROUP (9 May 2017)
Language: English
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Review
"Prum's argument is exhilarating . . . The Evolution of Beauty should be widely read, as it will provoke readers, shaking them (as reading Hume did to Kant) from their dogmatic slumbers . . . I don't see how any biologist could read this book and not walk away at least questioning the idea that adaptation must explain every last trait. Survival of the fittest might not be enough to explain nature. We might need survival of the prettiest, too."
--Sam Kean, Wall Street Journal
"Prum draws on decades of study, hundreds of papers, and a lively, literate, and mischievous mind . . . a delicious read, both seductive and mutinous . . . Prum's attention never strays far from nature, and his writing [about birds] is minutely detailed, exquisitely observant, deeply informed, and often tenderly sensual."
--David Dobbs, New York Times Book Review
"The single most provocative book I read this year, one of those books that changes the way you look at everything . . . Everything about this book is unexpected, including the prose-fine and often funny."
--Michael Pollan
"The Evolution of Beauty is at once fascinating, provocative, and totally compelling. Anyone interested in science or art or sex--which is to say everyone--will want to read it."
--Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction
"A fascinating account of beauty and mate choice in birds and other animals. You'll be amazed by the weird things that birds do to win mates. You'll also discover why both men and women have armpit hair, why men lack the penis bone widespread in other mammals, and what really happened in the Garden of Eden."
--Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel
"A major intellectual achievement that should hasten the adoption of a more expansive style of evolutionary explanation that Darwin himself would have appreciated."
--Nick Romeo, Washington Post
"A smorgasbord of evolutionary biology, philosophy, and sociology, filtered through Prum's experiences as a birdwatcher and his diverse research on everything from dinosaur colors to duck sex. Through compelling arguments and colorful examples, Prum launches a counterstrike against the adaptationist regime, in an attempt to 'put the subjective experience of animals back in the center of biology' and to 'bring beauty back to the sciences.'"
--Ed Yong, The Atlantic
"Prum's career has been diverse and full, so that reading this fascinating book, we learn about the patterning of dinosaur feathers, consider the evolutionary basis of the human female orgasm, the tyranny of academic patriarchy, and the corkscrewed enormity of a duck's penis. Combining this with in-depth study of how science selects the ideas it approves of and fine writing about fieldwork results in a rich, absorbing text . . . The dance Prum performs to convince you to take him on as an intellectual partner is beautiful and deserves to be appreciated on its own terms."
--Adrian Barnett, New Scientist
"Reads like a memoir, argues like a manifesto, and shines with Prum's passion for all things ornithological."
--Erika Lorraine Milam, Science
"Life isn't just a dreary slog of survival. It brims with exuberance--from extravagant plumage to strange courtship rituals. In The Evolution of Beauty, Richard Prum takes us into this universe of delights to discover a fascinating idea: that beauty is central to the history of life."
--Carl Zimmer, author of Parasite Rex and Evolution: Making Sense of Life
Book Description
A major reimagining of how evolutionary forces work, revealing how mating preferences-what Darwin termed "the taste for the beautiful"-create the extraordinary range of ornament in the animal world.
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Arbuthnot Scott
1.0 out of 5 stars Prum either does not understand his own discipline, or is playing his audience for foolsReviewed in Australia on 2 July 2017
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The whole "Richard Prum is a heretic" schtick is ridiculous, designed to shift sales and with the consequence of confusing the public and making them dumber. There can only be two reasons Prum pushes this thesis: either he does not understand his own discipline, or he is playing his audience for fools. I don't think he is that cynical, but it is quite clear from reading his papers that he does not understand natural selection, or that form of it we call sexual selection.
To argue that Darwin's theories are in any way forgotten, when hundreds of articles are published every year citing those very articles (correctly too, unlike Prum), is perverse. Unfortuntaely the opprobrium he received will only reinforce his delusion of being a heretic defender of an unpopular truth.
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars One StarReviewed in Australia on 18 June 2017
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Terrible referencing, huge assumptions, not really recommended.
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Davide Ferrara
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth a readReviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 November 2017
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This is a very interesting book and perspective on how humans (and all living beings / animals) have come to define "Beauty". It sort of builds on the type of approach taken to social science put forward by Geertz ("The Interpretation of Cultures", especially the first part of that book), but takes a different focus, if not entirely different epistemological developmental view. Was interesting to learn that Darwin originally put this forward as -- as the title implies -- not many have pursued this particular aspect of Darwin's work. Worth reading if one wishes to understand more about the core origins and depth of key aspects of human (and general) nature. It doesn't get more "core" than "mate choice", does it?
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Ralph Hepworth
5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable book well worth readingReviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 July 2018
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This is a remarkable book. It's a bit of an effort to get into it but well worth it. The author shares his passion for birds with conviction and you will find out more about the way ducks have sex then you ever thought there was to know. Then the author gets going and sets out his belief that evolution of beauty – 'beauty happens' in his words – occurs via it parallel and linked selection mechanism to utilitarian natural selection. His presentation is always well-founded and soundly argued - and thoroughly convincing. He makes speculative forays – and is always clear where he is doing this – into human sexuality amongst other things. This last chunk of the book is exciting and I found it hard to put it down. Well done Prof Prum; I'd give your book a six rating if I could.
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animal lover
5.0 out of 5 stars Prum argues for Darwin's suppressed theory of the evolutionary significance of female choiceReviewed in Canada on 19 August 2017
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loved this book! Prum has brought notice to Darwin's theory of evolution through beauty and mate choice. Darwin proposed aesthetics as a shared biological and cultural trait across lifeforms. He based this thought on observations of bird plumage and mating traditions. Darwin argued that females of bird species choose beautiful displays of males, and this results in physical adaptations. Also, the aesthetic qualities of cultural traditions enacted by the males are chosen by females, and this results in the adaptation in the species’ cultures. The theory was largely suppressed until recently because of its feminist implications—females leading evolutionary adaptation—and because it acknowledged conscious choice in animals. Prum's book is a welcome addition to aesthetic evolutionary theory and ecofeminism.
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Concobus
2.0 out of 5 stars A confused book. Only worth reading for people who already know enough about evolution to be able to parse the nonsenseReviewed in Canada on 31 August 2018
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I have a PhD in evolutionary biology. Like many evolutionary biologists, I will note that there are a number of serious problems with this book. The good press is mostly coming from reporters, not biologists. It's not all bad, but overall, I cannot recommend even the bird sections of this book because the content related to evolution is deeply confused.
Here are some of the problems. This is not an exhaustive list. There are many more problems than I can list here.
First, Prum misrepresents opposition to Fisher's model of runaway selection. Runaway selection and arbitrary female choice are presented in introductory evolutionary biology textbooks (e.g. Futuyma & Kirkpatrick), and in what is probably the most popular biology book of all time ("The Selfish Gene"). This is not some forgotten secret that has laid dormant and untaught in evolutionary biology for decades. It is fair to say that most evolutionary biologists do not accept the ubiquity of runaway selection, but this is on the basis of (lack of) evidence. Prum asks us to accept runaway selection as the "null model" for sexual selection, despite there being more arguments against its ubiquity than for it, and despite it not producing testable quantitative predictions (unlike the neutral theory of molecular evolution, which is Prum's point of comparison for a null model).
Second, Prum ignores evidence against his position and misrepresents the arguments of his opponents. Runaway selection on arbitrary traits cannot work if there is a cost to female choice. Prum does not tell us this, even though--as other reviewers have pointed out--it essentially disproves the entire premise of the book. That's quite the omission! As an example of misrepresenting his opponents, at one point, Prum misrepresents Alan Grafen, who said that accepting Fisher's model in opposition to honest signalling models would be "methodologically wicked". What he meant by this is simply that accepting a non-adaptationist hypothesis represents the end of inquiry. It's like shrugging your shoulders and saying "I don't know what this trait could be good for, therefore it must be good for nothing." That kind of argument from ignorance is not how science progresses. You need to make hypotheses and try to knock them down.
Third, at one point, it becomes clear that Prum has not understood the arguments against his position. For example, when discussing Zahavi's handicap principle, Prum asks why male animals do not seem to evolve true handicaps such as missing limbs in order to signal their high quality. This shows that Prum has not understood at all what an "honest signal" is. An honest signal is a *reliable* indicator of male quality. The reason that males do not evolve missing limbs is that a male with bad genes can just as easily have a missing limb as a male with good genes. Therefore, there would be selection against females accepting missing limbs as a signal because it would lead them to being easily fooled about the quality of their mate. This kind of easily faked signal is not evolutionarily stable. Instead, natural selection will cause females to rely on *honest signals*: signals that are easy for good males to produce but hard for bad males to produce. That Prum does not know this shows that he does not understand the arguments against his position or that he is choosing to misrepresent them.
Fourth, Prum's appeal to consequences in rejecting the "good genes" model of mate choice is deplorable. Prum says we must reject this model in order to divorce evolutionary biology from eugenics. No! What we must do is judge the truth of each model based on the EVIDENCE. Prum's fallacious line of argument here has long been used by creationists to reject evolutionary theory in its entirety.
Fifth, Prum's own speculations on human sociobiology are deeply irresponsible in my opinion. For example, he admits that none of the mathematical models behind the material he is proposing have been published so he doesn't really know if what he is proposing is even theoretically possible. But then he says "humans likely [this]" and "humans likely [that]" on the basis of essentially zero evidence. It's all his untested pet theory.
Et cetera. If you read this book, know that what you are reading is not an honest representation of the state of evolutionary biology. This book is pushing the author's viewpoint, and in my opinion stretches the boundaries of the truth in order to do so. By the end of the book, you get the sense that his motivation for writing the book may have been based largely based on two things: 1) his personal politics, 2) his resentment at having had his viewpoints criticized in peer review (by experts who know better) and a desire to bypass the peer-reviewed journals and "win the argument" by appealing directly to the public.
Give this one a pass.
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Marco Ferrari
4.0 out of 5 stars Interessante, ma incompletoReviewed in Italy on 3 August 2017
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Un'ipotesi già presente da molti decenni è vivificata da questa trattazione brillante e curiosa, che però è limitata a due soli gruppi animali (manachini e uccelli giardinieri) per poi salta direttamente alla specie umana. Anche se si può essere d'accordo nel respingere il panadattazionismo alla Wallace, avrei preferito una spiegazione anche teorica più completa del perché esiste anche negli animali un senso della bellezza. Tutto sommato, però, un libro ben scritto e stimolante
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