Richard O. Prum · 2017
A biological study arguing that animal aesthetic preferences, particularly in birds, drive the evolution of beauty through sexual selection.
Matt Ridley notes that the author uses the book to argue that beauty is appreciated by birds for its own sake.
A speaker recommends a book written by someone else.
“people like Richard Prum at Yale, who's written a wonderful book called The Evolution of Beauty, are saying let's have a fourth go at persuading the biological world that Darwin was right here…”
Why: It argues that beauty is something birds appreciate for its own sake.
Matt Ridley, Guest on EconTalkBird Brains, Bird Sex, and All Kinds of Beauty (with Matt Ridley)
Other books cited in the same episodes.
The Origin of Species
Charles Darwin
Discussed together in: Bird Brains, Bird Sex, and All Kinds of Beauty (with Matt Ridley) (EconTalk)
Birds, Sex and Beauty
Matt Ridley
Discussed together in: Bird Brains, Bird Sex, and All Kinds of Beauty (with Matt Ridley) (EconTalk)
The Descent of Man
Charles Darwin
Discussed together in: Bird Brains, Bird Sex, and All Kinds of Beauty (with Matt Ridley) (EconTalk)