Machiavellian Intelligence: Social Expertise and the Evolution of Intellect in Monkeys, Apes, and Humans (Oxford Science Publications) (Bk.1) [Paperback]

Richard W. Byrne (Editor), Andrew Whiten (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198521758 | ISBN-13: 978-0198521754 | Publication Date: September 14, 1989

This book presents an alternative to conventional ideas about the evolution of the human intellect. Instead of placing top priority on the role of tools, the pressure for their skillful use, and the related importance of interpersonal communication as a means for enhanced cooperation, this volume explores quite a different idea-- that the driving force in the evolution of human intellect was social expertise--a force which enabled the manipulation of others within the social group, who themselves are seen as posing the most challenging problems faced by primitive humans. The need to outwit one's clever colleagues then produces an evolutionary spiraling of "Machiavellian intelligence." The book forms a complete and self-contained text on this fast-growing topic. It includes the origins of the basic premise and a wealth of exciting developments, described by an international team of authors from the fields of anthropology, psychology, and zoology. An evaluation of more traditional approaches is also undertaken, with a view to discovering to what extent Machiavellian intelligence represents a complementary concept or one that is truly an alternative. Readers and students will find this fascinating volume carries them to the frontiers of scientific work on the origin of human intellect.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Unusually well organized, integrated, and edited, unlike so many haphazard collections of edited papers. The theoretical position is intriguing, and the evidence convincing....The papers are generally excellent." --American Scientist

"In summary, the reader of Machiavellian Intelligence will find the book promising for generating new hypotheses and additional questions about the evolution of intelligence, phylogenetic differences in social intelligence, and sources of selection pressure for attentional manipulation such as deception, to mention just a few. These topics could be explored fruitfully using the book as a reader in an interdisciplinary seminar with graduate students from psychology, anthropology, and zoology and would surely provide for a lively and thoughtful exchange of ideas and opinions. Clearly the topic of primate social intelligence, enthusiastically launched by this collection of writings, offers much tinder for future research." --International Journal of Primatology

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 14, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198521758
• ISBN-13: 978-0198521754
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #968,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ethnographically rich, June 19, 2003

By 

Peter A. Kindle (Kansas City, Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Machiavellian Intelligence: Social Expertise and the Evolution of Intellect in Monkeys, Apes, and Humans (Oxford Science Publications) (Bk.1) (Paperback)

The premise of this collection of articles (25 in all) is really quite simple. The editors contend that the competitive nature of social group living provided the primary impetus driving the evolutionary development of monkey, ape, and human intelligence. Other triggers for this change are considered - tool use and foraging behavior - but this collection represents a significant first salvo advocating social expertise.

No more than six articles could be considered empirical research reports due to the absence of significant research in this area prior to the publication of this volume. The majority of the articles are ethnographic is content; however, the variety and specificity of these reports are fascinating reading.

The articles are grouped into seven sections. The first includes three early works, one originally published in 1953 that sparked the idea of social expertise. Primate social relationships are the second group, and it contains one study of human child interactions. The effect of adding a third party to dyads is discussed in the social complexity section. Theory of mind especially as it may be demonstrated among chimpanzees is the subject of three articles in the fourth section, and deception is discussed in the fifth. Alternatives to social expertise are reviewed in the sixth section, and the exploitation of the expertise of others in primate groups in the last.

Considerable research has been done since 1988 which may have supplanted this collection. For example, Sternberg and Kaufman's collection "The Evolution of Human Intelligence" (2001) or Corballis and Lea's "The Descent of Mind" (1999) may be a much better starting places for a review of more contemporary work. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. If you have the time to indulge in a multi-volume introduction to the evolution of intelligence, find and include this book. To some extent it established the parameters for the ongoing dialog.