Homicide (Foundations of Human Behavior) [Hardcover]

Margo Wilson (Author), Martin Daly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1988 | ISBN-10: 0202011771 | ISBN-13: 978-0202011776

This book is an exercise in "evolutionary psychology": the attempt to understand normal social motives as products of the process of evolution by natural selection. There is simply no question that this is the process that created the human psyche, and yet psychologists seldom ask what implications this fact might have for their discipline. We think that the implications are many and profound, touching on such matters as parental affection and rejection, sibling rivalry, sex differences in interests and inclinations, social comparisons and achievement motives, our sense of justice, lifespan developmental changes in attitudes, and that phenomenology of the self.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The fascination of the subject and the felicity of the writing make this an irresistible book. Without sacrificing scholarship, Daly and Wilson maintain an outspoken, at times quietly humorous, often suspenseful, always lucid prose. Their book is a model of absorbing analysis for the educated laymanmany anthropologists might also find it a vehicle by which to explore the Darwinian approach to human behavior."

— American Journal of Physical Anthroplogy

About the Author

Margo Wilson is Professor of Psychology at McMaster University. She has published results of her research, jointly and separately, in more than 40 scientific journals and edited volumes.

Martin Daly is Professor of Psychology and Biology. He has published results of his research, jointly and separately, in more than 40 scientific journals and edited volumes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: Aldine Transaction (December 31, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0202011771
• ISBN-13: 978-0202011776
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,551,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Crime & Criminals  > Offenders

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling analysis of the phenomenon of homicide., March 29, 1998

By 

Edward Downie (Fayetteville, Arkansas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homicide (Foundations of Human Behavior) (Paperback)

Although nominally about the material designated in its title, this book is no mere collection of statistics, but contains wide-ranging discussions of evolutionary psychology, which Daly & Wilson use as the framework for an understanding of the phenomenon of homicide. So if the propensity to homicide is bred into the human race by millennia of natural selection, so also are other phenomena with which society struggles, like sexual harassment. I guess my point is that this book is about homicide and more. It's also lucid and even witty. It reads like a detective story, which indeed it is, but the culprit here is manifold rather than singular. The book will also furnish guidance to those who subscribe to the view that arrest, conviction, and incarceration will have only limited effects on the homicide rate, and that homicide be treated also as a public health problem. Daly & Wilson consider anthropological data from around the world and historical data as well to draw their inferences. In the most common type of murder the perpetrator and victim are young men who know each other and are in (ostensible) conflict over some trivial matter. But Daly & Wilson say that murder is the rare outcome of a common situation where two men face off against each other with each trying to appear more formidable and dangerous than the other. The (biological) reason they behave as they do is that such behavior causes them to acquire (or keep) control of the reproductive behavior of their women. Think about it: wimps, who allowed their women to be taken away from themselves, left no wimp genes in the gene pool. Of course there are a lot of other kinds of murders: children are occasionally murdered, sometimes by their natural parents, but more often by step-parents. It appears that there is a basis for the ever-popular myth (in many cultures, not just western European) of the evil step-parent. Husbands murder wives, but this seems to be a case of violence being used to control the wife's reproductive behavior, and the violence gets out of hand. When wives murder husbands (a rarer occurrence) it tends to be defensive in nature. Wonderful book! Very thought provoking.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great social/behavioral science book, January 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Homicide (Foundations of Human Behavior) (Paperback)

I've now read this book about 10 times over the past three years while teaching an evolution of human behavior course at the college where I'm employed. I was motivated to say a few supportive words about this book because I have become convinced of its groundbreaking importance in the scientific literature. After a decade of reading and studying evolutionary anthropology/psychology I find no other single book that so clearly and convincingly articulates the application of Darwinian thinking to modern human behavior. It is a perfect text to use with students as it not only teaches a wealth of information, but is also an excellent example of critical interpretation of data. Many of my students have commented on the power of this book to transform them into appreciative readers of science. From my own experience, it is one of a few books that transformed me from a standard social science undergraduate--mired in theoretical mush--into a more critical and thoughtful scholar. The other books that influenced me were by Sarah Hrdy, Don Symons, and later, Jarome Barkow et al. I encourage anyone interested in human behavior to read this book. Bring along a collegiate dictionary if your vocabulary is anything like that of my undergraduates!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science for the amateur, November 2, 2008

By 

S. Martin (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Homicide (Foundations of Human Behavior) (Paperback)

This is a fascinating book. It's scientific, but readable, with lots of new ideas you'll want to share at parties. One of those classic books that changed the way I think.