 First Hardcover edition | |
| Author | Richard O. Prum |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
Publication date | 2017 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print, e-book, audio |
| Pages | 448 pp. |
| ISBN | 978-0385537216 |
The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World—and Us is a 2017 book by the ornithologist and evolutionary biologist Richard O. Prum about the power of aesthetic mate choice, arguing it to be an important independent agent in evolution. Prum indicates that while Charles Darwin made this argument in The Descent of Man, published in 1871, the concept was sidelined and forgotten and the notion of natural selection being the sole driver of evolution took over. As an ornithologist, Prum describes many examples in avian evolution where aesthetics are preeminent. Prum proceeds to apply the principle of aesthetic evolution as an independent force in human evolution.[1]
- ^ Jabr, Ferris (January 9, 2019). "How Beauty Is Making Scientists Rethink Evolution - The extravagant splendor of the animal kingdom can't be explained by natural selection alone — so how did it come to be?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2019.