Natural Selection and Social Theory - Selected Papers of Robert Trivers

Robert Trivers is a pioneering figure in the field of sociobiology. For Natural Selection and Social Theory, he has selected eleven of his most influential papers, including several classic papers from the early 1970s on the evolution of reciprocal altruism, parent-offspring conflicts, and asymmetry in sexual selection, which helped to establish the centrality of sociobiology, as well as some of his later work on deceit in signalling, sex antagonistic genes, and imprinting. Trivers introduces each paper, setting them in their contemporary context, and critically evaluating them in the light of subsequent work and further developments. The result is a unique portrait of the intellectual development of sociobiology, with valuable insights for evolutionary biology, anthropology, and psychology.

List of contents

• Preface


• 1: Reciprocal altruism


• 2: Parental investment and reproductive success


• 3: The Trivers-Willard effect


• 4: Parent-offspring conflict


• 5: Haplodiploidy and the social insects


• 6: Size and reproductive success in a lizard


• 7: Selecting good genes for daughters


• 8: Self-deception in service of deceit


• 9: Genomic imprinting


• 10: Fluctuating asymmetry and 2nd:4th digit ratio in children

Summary

This volume presents papers from one of the leading figures of sociobiology, each with a contectualizing introduction. It functions as a portrait of the intellectual development of sociobiology, with insights pertaining to evolutionary biology, anthropology, and psychology.

Product details

• Authors: Robert Trivers, Robert L. Trivers
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.08.2002
• EAN: 9780195130621
• ISBN: 978-0-19-513062-1
• No. of pages: 356
• Dimensions: 156 mm x 234 mm x 20 mm
• Series: Evolution and Cognition Series; Print on Demand
• Subjects: Education and learning > Teaching preparation > Vocational needs; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; Evolution, PSYCHOLOGY / General, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Evolution, Anthropology, Psychology, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Biology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / General, Human biology, Physical anthropology, Evolution / Evolutionary biology