The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World - and Us

by Richard O. Prum Narrated by Dan Woren

Overview

A FINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE*NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW,*SMITHSONIAN,*AND WALL STREET JOURNAL

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.

In the great halls of science, dogma holds that Darwin's theory of natural selection explains every branch on the tree of life: which species thrive, which wither away to extinction, and what features each evolves. But can adaptation by natural selection really account for everything we see in nature?
**** Yale University ornithologist Richard Prum-reviving Darwin's own views-thinks not. Deep in tropical jungles around the world are birds with a dizzying array of appearances and mating displays: Club-winged Manakins who sing with their wings, Great Argus Pheasants who dazzle prospective mates with a four-foot-wide cone of feathers covered in golden 3D spheres, Red-capped Manakins who moonwalk. In thirty years of fieldwork, Prum has seen numerous display traits that seem disconnected from, if not outright contrary to, selection for individual survival. To explain this, he dusts off Darwin's long-neglected theory of sexual selection in which the act of choosing a mate for purely aesthetic reasons-for the mere pleasure of it-is an independent engine of evolutionary change.
****Mate choice can drive ornamental traits from the constraints of adaptive evolution, allowing them to grow ever more elaborate. It also sets the stakes for sexual conflict, in which the sexual autonomy of the female evolves in response to male sexual control. Most crucially, this framework provides important insights into the evolution of human sexuality, particularly the ways in which female preferences have changed male bodies, and even maleness itself, through evolutionary time.
**** The Evolution of Beauty presents a unique scientific vision for how nature's splendor contributes to a more complete understanding of evolution and of ourselves.

Editorial Reviews

JULY 2017 - AudioFile

Most people know the fundamentals of Darwin's theory of natural selection, but fewer are aware of his idea of sexual selection as a significant force of biological evolution and the concept of beauty. Narrator Dan Woren's clear diction and relaxed delivery reflect author Prum's evident passion for his subject. Woren increases listener accessibility to this fascinating account of the interconnections among avian mating rituals, the development of beautiful feathers, and the female choice of mates. Woren not only handles the Latin taxonomic terms and ably distinguishes quotations from narrative but he also never loses sight of the author's sense of humor and inherent curiosity. The audiobook concludes with a broader look at aesthetics, including the relevance of ornithological research for understanding human perceptions of beauty and sexual relationships. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

The New York Times Book Review - David Dobbs

…Prum, drawing on decades of study, hundreds of papers, and a lively, literate, and mischievous mind, means to prove an enriched version of Darwin's sexual selection theory and rescue evolutionary biology from its "tedious and limiting adaptationist insistence on the ubiquitous power of natural selection"…True to his argument, Prum seeks to prevail less through brute force of attack than by making his case with clarity, grace and charm. Like a bowerbird arranging its display for potential mates, he seeks not to best his chesty, chattering rivals, but to persuade the open-minded. The result is a delicious read, both seductive and mutinous.

From the Publisher

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, SMITHSONIAN, AND WALL STREET JOURNAL

"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

Library Journal

04/01/2017
In this thought-provoking exploration of sexual selection as an evolutionary force, Prum (ornithology, Yale Univ.) argues that Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection isn't the only thing driving evolution. Sexual selection is the idea that the female is responsible for more than modern-day scientists are comfortable admitting, by choosing mates based on attributes that are aesthetically pleasing rather than serving some sort of function to further the species. For example, in order to attract a mate, the male great argus pheasant builds an "arena" by clearing out sticks and leaves, waits for a female to approach, and then expands his feathers, which are covered in multicolored optical illusion spheres, and dances around. Prum argues in favor of Darwin's theory that this mating ritual, along with others, is the culmination of evolution through mate choice, that individuals have the capacity to choose mates with the ornaments they prefer. He expands this theory mostly through his ornithological studies but also casts the methodology onto humans as well, which is much easier to comprehend. Prum's prose is simple and enjoyable enough for the Darwinian-challenged to understand while based in enough scientific evidence to engage those who might disagree with the ideas presented. VERDICT An intriguing look at a forgotten—and ignored—piece of Darwinism. Casual readers and science buffs alike will surely appreciate this book. [Prepub Alert, 11/21/2016.]—Tyler Hixson, School Library Journal

JULY 2017 - AudioFile

Most people know the fundamentals of Darwin's theory of natural selection, but fewer are aware of his idea of sexual selection as a significant force of biological evolution and the concept of beauty. Narrator Dan Woren's clear diction and relaxed delivery reflect author Prum's evident passion for his subject. Woren increases listener accessibility to this fascinating account of the interconnections among avian mating rituals, the development of beautiful feathers, and the female choice of mates. Woren not only handles the Latin taxonomic terms and ably distinguishes quotations from narrative but he also never loses sight of the author's sense of humor and inherent curiosity. The audiobook concludes with a broader look at aesthetics, including the relevance of ornithological research for understanding human perceptions of beauty and sexual relationships. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2017-03-02
A robust defense of Charles Darwin's aesthetic theory of evolution.Prum (Ornithology/Yale Univ.), the head curator of vertebrate zoology at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, argues that natural selection is not the only evolutionary mechanism at work in nature. Beauty and desire in nature are also dynamic forces, and those features in males that females prefer in choosing mates evolve rapidly. In a nutshell, each species evolves its own standard of beauty by which it chooses mates. After a brief discussion of the early and continued opposition to Darwin's aesthetic theory, the author illustrates the role of beauty in bird mating by taking readers to Borneo to observe the rituals of the Great Argus, a species of pheasant known as "one of the most aesthetically extreme animals on the planet," and to Suriname, to see the displays of male manakins, which must meet the "very high standards" of potential female mates. In other chapters, Prum reveals the intricate machinery involved in female bowerbirds choosing their mates. Female ducks, it seems, may not have such autonomy. Readers may be in for a shock when Prum turns to duck sex, which can be violent, involving what humans would call gang rape, and the illustrations of record-setting duck penises are eye-opening. The author, who charmingly reveals his lifelong fascination with birds, does not base his argument solely on avian evolution, however. In later chapters, he explores the role of female mate choice in primate evolution, a challenging subject that he views as warranting further study. Throughout, the narrative is well-documented and wholly accessible, enriched by the author's warm personal touches. Prum writes that his goal was to present the "full, distinctive richness, complexity, and diversity of this aesthetic view of life." He absolutely succeeds, though fierce debate will continue among evolutionary biologists.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169498561
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	05/09/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 3
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Evolution of Beauty"
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Copyright © 2018 Richard O. Prum.
Excerpted by permission of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
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