Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

Quantity:

More Buying Choices

26 used & new from �21.47

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Share your own customer images

Search inside this book

The Ant and the Peacock: Altruism and Sexual Selection from Darwin to Today (Paperback)

by John Maynard Smith (Foreword), Helena Cronin (Author) "We are walking archives of ancestral wisdom ..." (more)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

RRP:	�35.00
Price:	�33.25 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save:	�1.75 (5%)

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 5 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 7? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

14 new from �28.00 12 used from �21.47

Other Editions:	RRP:	Our Price:	Other Offers:
Hardcover (illustrated edition)			8 used & new from �17.68

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary edition

by Richard Dawkins

4.5 out of 5 stars (82) �6.69

Your Inner Fish: The Amazing Discovery of Our 375-Million-Year-Old Ancestor

by Neil Shubin

4.6 out of 5 stars (22) �6.49

The Making of the Fittest

by Sean B. Carroll

4.6 out of 5 stars (7) �5.39

Bad Science

by Ben Goldacre

4.6 out of 5 stars (138) �4.85

Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life (Penguin Science)

by Daniel C. Dennett

4.5 out of 5 stars (8) �7.79

› Explore similar items

Product details

Paperback: 508 pages
Publisher: Cambridge University Press; Reprint edition (24 Sep 1993)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0521457653
ISBN-13: 978-0521457651
Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 15.2 x 3.4 cm

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 236,126 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories:
#22 in Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Biology > Animal Sciences > Animal Ecology
#22 in Books > Science & Nature > Biological Sciences > Ecology > Animal Ecology

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Review
‘Part detective story and part philosophical enquiry, The Ant and the Peacock offers a paradox in every paragraph.’ J. G. Ballard, Weekend Telegraph

‘Nobody with an interest in how the human mind has come to work the way it does can fail to be gripped by it.’ The Economist

‘In her racy and provocative way, Dr Cronin tells a story that sums up the essence of neo-Darwinism … Part detective story and part philosophical enquiry, The Ant and the Peacock offers a paradox in every paragraph …’ Weekend Telegraph

‘The finest study of the evolution of Darwinian thought that we have to date … Cronin’s special understanding of the sexual force in evolution’s drive adds a most important dynamic to this work.’ The New England Review of Books

Product Description
This book is a success story. It explains two long-running puzzles of the theory of natural selection. How can natural selection favour those, like the ant, that renounce tooth and claw in favour of the public-spirited ways of the commune? How can it explain the peacock’s tail, flamboyant and a burden to its bearer; surely selection would act against useless ornamentation? Helena Cronin’s enthralling account blends history, science and philosophy in a gripping tale that is scholarly, entertaining and eminently readable. The hardback edition was selected by Nature as one of the best scientific books in 1992. Also the New York Times chose it as one of their best books of 1992. The author divides her time between the Philosophy Department at the London School of Economics and the Zoology Department at Oxford.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
We are walking archives of ancestral wisdom. Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)

science

evolution

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	86% buy the item featured on this page: The Ant and the Peacock: Altruism and Sexual Selection from Darwin to Today 5.0 out of 5 stars (1) �33.25
	14% buy The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating 4.3 out of 5 stars (11) �10.99

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

1 Review

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle detonator, 26 Jul 2005

By	Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This comprehensive and engrossing study examines two major elements of evolution: the role of ornamenation in various species, and the presence of altruism in a nature deemed "red in tooth and claw." Cronin focuses throughout the book on the contrasting views of Charles Darwin and his co-founder of evolution by natural selection, Albert Russell Wallace. Darwin appended his earlier ideas outlined in The Origin of Species in The Descent of Man. In that later work, he enalrged on the idea of "sexual selection." He postulated that many evolutionary traits which appear as maladaptive to survival are actually derived from reproductive pressures. The issue of female choice among many species was a difficult idea to sell - Wallace never accepted it. He retained what Cronin deems "natural selection by
good sense," devoid of esthetics.

Cronin chronicles the history of sexual selection with craft and precision. Her writing is unambiguous, providing excellent insights into many aspects of evolutionary thinking. As she develops her theme, she aknowledges her debt to Dawkin's work on the influence of genes manifesting as guides to adaptation. Cronin adds a new term in describing the merging of Mendelian genetics and Darwin's gradualist concept - "modern Darwism". She carefully explains how natural selection operates at the genetic level to achieve a "trade-off" of costs and benefits to arrive at selected traits. In this analysis, Cronin gently but firmly applies Darwinian implements to show how critics of modern Darwinism have misled themselves in seeking "alternative" answers to adapation. The have been asking the wrong questions!

This view was hotly challenged by paleontologist Stephen Gould in a now-famous essay. He viewed with horror Cronin's application of gene selection as a definitive evolutionary process. He made a wide-ranging critique which attempted to refute applying any facets of animal behaviour to humans. The review touched off the [mostly] trans-Atlantic dispute over how adaptation actually works. It was the Sarajevo of the "Darwin Wars" between Gould and Dawkins, perhaps best summarized by Daniel Dennet. Cronin's use of evidence should have forestalled that conflict. Cronin's skills in applying essentials to explain adaptations are unimpeachable and her skillful prose only enhances the value of this work. It will stand for a long time as a landmark work in evolutionary studies. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Listmania!

Teach yourself Neuroscience: A list by Richard Griffiths "SoulFireMage"
Decisions, statistics and probability (in that order).: A list by R. WOOD
Mind stimulating books: A list by "jbs3457"

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Books > Science & Nature > Biological Sciences > Animal Sciences
Books > Science & Nature > Biological Sciences > Evolution
Books > Science & Nature > Environment & Ecology > Ecology > Animal Ecology
Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Biology > Animal Sciences > Animal Ecology
Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Biology > Evolutionary Biology

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.

Darwin's Dangerous Idea...

Richard Rorty"Lingua Franca"One of our most original and most readable... Read more

›Find similar items

Beauty without the Beast

Olay Regenerist Daily 3 Point Treatment Cream

From au naturel to party glam, we have all the best names in cosmetics and skincare.

›Discover Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

We've Got Converse

Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

›Shop Converse

Treat Someone

With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

Where's My Stuff?

track your recent orders
view or change your orders in Your Account

Delivery and Returns

see our delivery rates and policies
thinking of returning an item? (See our Returns Policy)

Need Help?

Forgot your password?
Buy Gift Certificates.
still have questions? Visit our Help Pages

Your Recent History

(What's this?)

You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer

4.1 out of 5 stars (453)�6.49

Eclipse (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer

4.4 out of 5 stars (208)�3.84

New Moon (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer

4.2 out of 5 stars (216)�3.49

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

4.1 out of 5 stars (157)�3.99


Amazon Home

International Sites: United States \| Germany \| France \| Japan \| Canada \| China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon \| Fulfilment by Amazon \| Join Associates \| Join Advantage

Customer Service \| Help \| View Basket \| Your Account

About Amazon.co.uk \| Careers at Amazon


Amazon Home

International Sites: United States \| Germany \| France \| Japan \| Canada \| China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon \| Fulfilment by Amazon \| Join Associates \| Join Advantage

Customer Service \| Help \| View Basket \| Your Account

About Amazon.co.uk \| Careers at Amazon