This book is a success story. It explains two long-running puzzles of the theory of natural selection. How can natural selection favour those, like the ant, that renounce tooth and claw in favour of the public-spirited ways of the commune? How can it explain the peacock's tail, flamboyant and a burden to its bearer; surely selection would act against useless ornamentation? Helena Cronin's enthralling account blends history, science and philosophy in a gripping tale that is scholarly, entertaining and eminently readable. The hardback edition was selected by Nature as one of the best scientific books in 1992. Also the New York Times chose it as one of their best books of 1992. The author divides her time between the Philosophy Department at the London School of Economics and the Zoology Department at Oxford.
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'Part detective story and part philosophical enquiry, The Ant and the Peacock offers a paradox in every paragraph.' J. G. Ballard, Weekend Telegraph
'Nobody with an interest in how the human mind has come to work the way it does can fail to be gripped by it.' The Economist
'In her racy and provocative way, Dr Cronin tells a story that sums up the essence of neo-Darwinism … Part detective story and part philosophical enquiry, The Ant and the Peacock offers a paradox in every paragraph …' Weekend Telegraph
'The finest study of the evolution of Darwinian thought that we have to date … Cronin's special understanding of the sexual force in evolution's drive adds a most important dynamic to this work.' The New England Review of Books
'Nobody with an interest in how the human mind has come to work the way it does can fail to be gripped by it.' The Economist
'In her racy and provocative way, Dr Cronin tells a story that sums up the essence of neo-Darwinism … Part detective story and part philosophical enquiry, The Ant and the Peacock offers a paradox in every paragraph …' Weekend Telegraph
'The finest study of the evolution of Darwinian thought that we have to date … Cronin's special understanding of the sexual force in evolution's drive adds a most important dynamic to this work.' The New England Review of Books
Über das Produkt
This book explains two puzzles of the theory of natural selection, the altruism of the ant, and that concerning sexual selection, epitomized by the peacock's flamboyant and burdensome tail. Helena Cronin's account blends history, science and philosophy in a gripping tale that is scholarly, entertaining and eminently readable.
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2 von 2 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Von Gunnar Ohrwall
Format:Taschenbuch
Dr. Cronin presents a philosophical history of the questions of sexual selection (as exemplified by the peacock in the title) and altruism (the ant), from the time of Darwin until today. She explains the background to the debate (or lack thereof) among Darwin's contemporaries and successors, which is sometimes difficult to understand with the gene based view of natural selection we have today. It is fascinating reading for the informed person, but the academic tone may be off putting to the casual reader. Dr. Cronin presupposes a fairly detailed knowledge of modern evolutionary theory, and the layperson may want to read some introduction such as Dawkins' books first.
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A gentle detonator
2. September 2002
Von Stephen A. Haines
- Veröffentlicht auf Amazon.com
Format:Taschenbuch
This comprehensive and engrossing study examines two major elements of evolution: the role of ornamenation in various species, and the presence of altruism in a nature deemed "red in tooth and claw." Cronin focuses throughout the book on the contrasting views of Charles Darwin and his co-founder of evolution by natural selection, Albert Russell Wallace. Darwin appended his earlier ideas outlined in The Origin of Species in The Descent of Man. In that later work, he enalrged on the idea of "sexual selection." He postulated that many evolutionary traits which appear as maladaptive to survival are actually derived from reproductive pressures. The issue of female choice among many species was a difficult idea to sell - Wallace never accepted it. He retained what Cronin deems "natural selection by
good sense," devoid of esthetics.
good sense," devoid of esthetics.
Cronin chronicles the history of sexual selection with craft and precision. Her writing is unambiguous, providing excellent insights into many aspects of evolutionary thinking. As she develops her theme, she aknowledges her debt to Dawkin's work on the influence of genes manifesting as guides to adaptation. Cronin adds a new term in describing the merging of Mendelian genetics and Darwin's gradualist concept - "modern Darwism". She carefully explains how natural selection operates at the genetic level to achieve a "trade-off" of costs and benefits to arrive at selected traits. In this analysis, Cronin gently but firmly applies Darwinian implements to show how critics of modern Darwinism have misled themselves in seeking "alternative" answers to adapation. The have been asking the wrong questions!
This view was hotly challenged by paleontologist Stephen Gould in a now-famous essay. He viewed with horror Cronin's application of gene selection as a definitive evolutionary process. He made a wide-ranging critique which attempted to refute applying any facets of animal behaviour to humans. The review touched off the [mostly] trans-Atlantic dispute over how adaptation actually works. It was the Sarajevo of the "Darwin Wars" between Gould and Dawkins, perhaps best summarized by Daniel Dennet. Cronin's use of evidence should have forestalled that conflict. Cronin's skills in applying essentials to explain adaptations are unimpeachable and her skillful prose only enhances the value of this work. It will stand for a long time as a landmark work in evolutionary studies.
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Interesting History of Two Troublesome Issues in Darwinism
4. Juni 2000
Von Gunnar Ohrwall
- Veröffentlicht auf Amazon.com
Format:Taschenbuch
Dr. Cronin presents a philosophical history of the questions of sexual selection (as exemplified by the peacock in the title) and altruism (the ant), from the time of Darwin until today. She explains the background to the debate (or lack thereof) among Darwin's contemporaries and successors, which is sometimes difficult to understand with the gene based view of natural selection we have today. It is fascinating reading for the informed person, but the academic tone may be off putting to the casual reader. Dr. Cronin presupposes a fairly detailed knowledge of modern evolutionary theory, and the layperson may want to read some introduction such as Dawkins' books first.
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Make dove not war
27. Juli 2012
Von Laurence Chalem
- Veröffentlicht auf Amazon.com
Format:Taschenbuch|Von Amazon bestätigter Kauf
That's a title of one of the chapters and one of the messages of the book THE ANT AND THE PEACOCK. One of the more challenging concepts to explain was altruism; after all, the theory that was called "Survival of the fittest," which was borrowed by Wallace from Spencer and eventually made its way to Darwin's Origin of the Species in the fifth edition, infers competition not cooperation. Well, Dr. Cronin does a wonderful job of explaining--via many examples including the title creatures--altruism and its flip-side, rivalry. Highly recommended... - lc
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