by Mark Pagel
Narrow Roads of Gene Land (Hamilton), 316–17
NASA, 241–42
national anthems, 83, 96, 165, 203
nationalism, 81–82, 86–87, 163–64, 203–4, 205, 211–12
nation-states, 15, 92, 185, 345–66
alliances of, 181
benefits of, 346, 347, 360, 361–62
centralization of, 346, 361, 362
dictatorial regimes of, 349, 363, 365–66
disintegration of, 363
economies of scale in, 358–63
elite leadership of, 345, 348, 361–63
local rules in emergence of, 349–58, 361, 362
mobility in, 364, 365
scale-free mechanisms in, 348–49
social networks in, 364–66
strangers trusted in, 346–48
traitors to, 90–91
Native Americans, 91–92, 164, 185–86
alliances among, 185
cultural diversity of, 52–53
linguistic diversity of, 53
longhouse designs of, 59
Pacific Northwest potlatch tribes of, 155
slavery among, 94
Natural History of Religion, The (Hume), 140, 146, 147–48
naturalistic fallacy, 14
natural selection, ix, 9–11, 26, 45, 46, 48, 64, 89, 105–6, 125–31, 194, 195, 197–98, 199, 208, 210–11, 272, 324, 340, 351
acting on local rules, 351, 352–53
of adult milk digestion, 263–64
of alcohol metabolizing genes, 262
of altruism, 78
amorality of, 158
complexity produced by, 239–40, 246–47
of cooperation, 10–11, 73, 78, 88, 176, 177, 182–84
cultural enhancers and, 133, 139, 143, 152, 155, 160
of deception, 307, 312, 313
defensive strategies produced by, 245
differences erased by, 100, 117, 118–19
diversifying, 101
fitness favored by, 118–19, 121, 154, 229–30, 272
of fur, 256
of gender differences, 318
grandchildren maximized by, 264
of hairlessness, 257, 258, 260
of HARs, 252–54
and hostile forces of nature, 244–45
of immune cells, 25, 105
kin selection favored by, 71, 77
of language, 275, 279, 305
life-dinner principle in, 24, 26, 145–46, 152, 160–61
of linked genes, 126–27
of menopause, 67
moving and unpredictable targets of, 244, 246–48
naive altruism unfavored by, 182–83, 279
of racial differences, 124
replicators promoted by, 79–80
reproductive success maximized by, 24, 154, 361
as selective death, 262–63
selfish instincts favored by, 71–72
of steatopygia, 262
survivors of, 272–73
treachery favored by, 173–74, 176
against violence, 266
of words, 300, 301
Natural Theology (Paley), 238–40
Nature, 285
nature vs. nurture debate, 113–19
navigation, celestial, 38, 41, 47, 60–61
Nazis, 160
Neanderthals, 29–30, 31, 32, 33–35, 37–38, 68, 90, 235, 253, 280
ancient DNA of, 29, 31, 33–34, 322–23
brain configuration of, 235–36, 254
cannibalism of, 309–10
environmental adaptation of, 44, 45
extinction of, 30, 33, 45
female dispersal among, 322–23
hunting by, 44–45
lactose intolerance of, 264
language and, 254, 277–78
modern human genes shared by, 29, 34, 38, 44, 254
modern human interbreeding with, 33–34, 44
physical appearance of, 31, 43–44, 45, 235–36
social learning of, 43–45, 70, 254, 278
neuroses, 338, 339
neutral markers, 55–56
New Guinea:
cannibalism in, 310
linguistic diversity of, 49, 50–51, 302
slavery in, 94
tribal warfare in, 193
New York, N.Y., 55, 188, 196
New Zealand, 8, 36, 37
Auckland Museum, 94
Maori war canoes of, 93–94
rugby team’s haka chant in, 166
niche environments, 50
norms, 176–77, 186
cooperation as, 212
in group commitment, 222–23
punishing deviation from, x, 89, 90, 159
North America, 5, 9, 35, 37, 52–53
Northern Ireland, 83
North Korea, 366
Nothing to Be Frightened Of (Barnes), 140
Nume speakers, 50
nutcracker bird, 42
obsessive-compulsive behaviors, 143–44, 160
Oceania, 36
slavery in, 94
ochlocracies, 362
“Of Cannibals” (Montaigne), 310
Olduvai Gorge site, 43
Olrat speakers, 50
Olson, Ken, 334
On Human Nature (Wilson), 179
On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation (Ricardo), 104
ontogeny, 353–57
social, 355–58, 366
opercula, 111
oral traditions, 166–68
orang-utans, 8–9, 234
reproduction rate of, 66, 67
order (lack of entropy), 351–57
Orgel, Leslie, “second rule” of, 324, 355, 357
Otmoor villages, England, 54–55
Ötzi, the Ice Man, 93
overweight people, 336
Oxford English Dictionary, 293, 294, 301
Oxford University, 54–55
Packard, Vance, 326
paintings, 32, 109–12
Australian Aboriginal, 168
cave, 4, 110–12, 116, 168, 236
by chimpanzees, 109–10
dominant forms of, 168
Palestinians, 152
Paley, William, 238–40
Palio horse race, Sienese, 103
Papua New Guinea, ix, 5, 33, 49–51, 53
density of languages in, 49, 50
parasites, 21, 25–26, 183–84
ectoparasites, 257–61
endoparasites, 257–58, 317–18, 319
genetic, 285–87
grooming of, 258
host behavior manipulated by, 20, 156, 160
as largest cause of death, 257–58
religions as, 136–37, 152, 158, 160
social, 313, 337
parochialism, 88–90, 91–94, 98, 150, 231–32
partial reinforcement, 142
Pascal, Blaise, 148
pastoralists, nomadic, vii–viii, 91
differentiated clothing styles of, 52
paternity uncertainty, 315–16
patriliny, 37
patriotism, 81–82, 96
peacocks’ tails, 154–55, 163, 166, 214
Pèche Merle Cave paintings, 112
penguins, 45–46, 130
Pennisi, Elizabeth, 336
perceptual defense and vigilance, 149
performance-enhancing drugs, 134, 159
Persian “King’s Eyes,” 332
persistence hunting, 249–50, 257
Phaedrus (Plato), 167
phenotypes, 20, 29
RNA, 74
social, 291–92
pheromones, 106
Picasso, Pablo, 109, 111
Pinnacle Point site, 3
plants, 37, 245, 262
Plato, 167, 223
pluripotent cells, 354, 355, 356
politicians, 187
lame-duck, 192
Pol Pot, 159, 357
Polybius, 243
Polynesians, 35–36, 37, 47–48, 49–50, 60–61
population
sizes, 23, 127–28, 241, 244, 346–47
potlatches, 155
pottery designs, Lapita, 35–36
predator-prey relationship, 24, 65–66, 245–46, 249–50
Prehistory of the Mind, The (Mithen), 112
prejudice, 81–82, 211
Pride and Prejudice (Austen), 156
principle of information, 209–11, 216, 231–32
prions, 310
prisoner’s dilemma, 188–89
psychoanalysis, 321–22
public goods, 226–31
Punic Wars, 243
Pygmies, 94
Québec, 59
rabbits, 24, 62–63, 64
as introduced species, 65–66
rabies virus, 20, 22
racism, 27, 56, 150, 367–69
random drift, 60–62, 127–28
ransoming, 189–90
Rational Optimist, The (Ridley), 46
reciprocal altruism, ix–x, 179–202, 280
fairness expected in, 8, 124, 177, 190, 195–201, 347
God-Save-the-Queen scenario of, 181–84, 189
shadow of the future in, 177, 187–95, 347
strong reciprocity in, 197–98, 199, 200–201
“Reciprocal Altruism Thirty Years Later” (Trivers), 199
red hair, 34
red ochre pigment, 32
Redwood, John, 83
Register, K. E., 92
regression to the mean, 144–45, 148
reinforcement schedules, 141–45
religions, 6, 8, 10, 13, 22–23, 91, 96, 102, 132–64, 225
commensals and, 136–37
conflicts between, 83
consolation, hope, and optimism in, 146–50, 159, 162
as conspicuous waste, 153–56, 163, 214
coordinated action promoted by, 150–53, 159
as cultural enhancers, 132–38, 158–64
dying for, 21, 23, 145, 156, 158
exchanges with gods in, 148–49
as explanatory framework, 140–41, 146, 147–50
false beliefs in, 132, 141–45, 148, 150–53, 156–58
group commitment advertised by, 153–58, 162, 213–14, 223
group conflicts and, 150–53, 156
kin selection invoked by, 152
life-dinner principle and, 160–61
magical thinking in, 139, 141–45
as memes, 135–38, 145–46, 158–64
as mind virus, 136, 152, 160–62
and natural disasters, 148–50
Old Testament God in, 158
Paley’s natural theology in, 238–40
as parasites, 136–37, 152, 158, 160
in prehistoric times, 133, 134–35, 147–48, 149–50, 162
psychological predisposition to, 138–45
purveyors of, 162–64
and regression to the mean, 144–45, 148
restricted forms taken by, 139
strange rituals of, 144, 156, 214
teleology of, 140, 141
religious art, 112, 156–57
religious ascetics, 21–22
religious martyrs, 21
religious warfare, 83, 159
Remarque, Erich, 97
Renard, Jules, 138
Renfrew, Colin, 297
replicators, 12, 73–76, 133–34, 160, 194, 283–93
cultural, 21–26
natural selection of, 79–80
RNA, 73–75, 181–84
transposons as, 285–87
words as, 294–95
reproductive lifespans, 67
reproductive potential, 260–61, 320–21
reproductive rates, 66–68
reproductive success, 10, 22, 118–19, 149–50, 158, 225, 235, 239, 352–53, 360
culture as favorable to, 11, 13, 24, 26, 27
current and future, 320–21
natural selection and, 24, 154, 361
of social amoebae, 77–80
of termites, 76
reputation marketplace, 218–22, 225, 231, 280–81
reputations, 72, 213–32, 280, 294, 313, 347, 348, 364, 366
attacks on, 219
contributing to public goods in, 227–31
enhancement of, 225, 231
following norms in, 222–23
greenbeard genes and, 213–18
honor killings and, 8, 202, 224–25
morality in, 223–24
self-sacrifice for, 225
shaming and, 224, 225
transferability of, 218–22, 225
retro fads, 137
revenge, 180, 193–94
spiteful, 188
Reynolds, Craig, 353
rhetoric, art of, 164, 167
Ricardo, David, 104
Ricardo’s law of comparative advantage, 104–6, 108, 109, 121
rice wine, 262
Ridley, Matt, 46
risk assessment, 338–40
risk taking, 123, 317
RNA (ribose nucleic acid), 73–75, 181–84
RNA-world, 73
Rocamadour religious art, 112, 156–57
rock-scissors-paper game, 120–21, 122, 124
Rogers, Alan, 259–60, 335–36, 337
Romance (Latinate) languages, 57, 297, 298
Romania, 362
Romans, ancient, 90–91, 94, 243
Rosenhan, David, 313–14
Rostand, Edmund, 290–91
Rowling, J. K., 334
Ruhlen, Merrit, 299
rule of two, 62–68, 93
running, endurance, 249–50, 257
Rwanda, 88–89
Safi, Mahmoud, 152
Sagan, Carl, 174
salivary amylase, 48
Sally-Anne test, 42
Samburu tribe, 25
San Bushmen, 92, 256
persistence hunting style of, 249–50, 257
Sanskrit language, 296
Sassoon, Siegfried, 224
Saudi Arabia, 32
Saunders, Peter, 125
scale-free mechanisms, 348–49
Science, 313, 336
Scotland, 19, 27
red hair in, 34
Seabright, Paul, 346–47
sea levels, 35, 61
seashells, as jewelry, 32, 44
Selepet speakers, 51
self, sense of, 269–73, 305
self-awareness, 249, 324–34
self-deception, 307, 308, 312, 316–24
self-interest, 8, 13–14, 85, 86, 120, 176–77, 199, 201, 202, 281, 337, 363, 367
cooperation vs., 71–73
discriminatory, 232
enlightened, 72
group selection vs., 198
specialization and, 101–8
suicidal self-sacrifice in, 73, 80, 96–98
selfish cheats, 71–72, 78, 79–80, 86, 173–74, 176–77, 180, 187–88, 190, 191, 192–93, 194, 199, 200, 208–18, 226–27, 229, 312
Selfish Gene, The (Dawkins), 249, 307
“selfish” herds, 246
selfishness, 85, 187–88, 189, 195–96, 201, 208
self-organization, 349–58
self-sacrifice, 8, 13–14, 152, 180
kin selection and, 174–76, 179–81
for reputations, 225
see also altruism
self-sacrifice, suicidal, 71, 76–87, 175
group selection and, 96–98
killing off competitors in, 85, 152
kin selection and, 81–85, 211–12
in self-interest, 73, 80, 96–98
of social amoebae, 77–80, 82, 83, 85
of suicide bombers, 85, 97, 152, 201
in warfare, 71, 73, 80, 83–85, 96, 97, 175, 202, 225
sex chromosomes, 318
sexual selection, 153–55, 260–62
hairlessness in, 260–61
handicap principle in, 154–55
steatopygia in, 261–62
Shakespeare, William, 165–66
shame, 88, 123, 224, 225
Shaw, George Bernard,
58
Siberia, 31, 35, 44
woolly musk oxen of, 45–46
Siena, Italy, 103, 121–22
Silent Spring (Carson), 37
“six degrees of separation” notion, 364
Skinner, B. F., 141–45
skylarks, 214, 215, 232
slavery, 94, 185–86
Slavic languages, 297, 298
slime molds, see social amoebae
“small world” experiment, 364
social amoebae (slime molds), 77–80, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 207–8
social anthropology, 129
social contract, 180, 226
social deprivation, 101
social environments, 102, 113, 119
Social Evolution (Trivers), 149
social insects, 74, 345, 346
eusociality of, 73, 202
reproductive success of, 67
shared vehicles of, 76–77
specialization of, 106
warfare of, 71, 73, 152, 175
social intelligence, 244–51, 311
levels of, 248
social competition and, 246–51
theory of mind in, 248–50
social learning, 2, 37–49, 59, 62, 68, 105, 205, 236–42, 254, 255–56, 258, 362
by animals, 38–43
complexity increased by, 46–47
cumulative adaptation through, 45–49
imitation of new behaviors in, 37–45, 61, 69–73, 236–44, 335–40
improvement in, 38, 39, 40–42, 43, 46–47, 237–38
by Neanderthals, 43–45, 70, 254, 278
theory of mind in, 41–43
as visual theft, 69–73, 186, 280, 337–38
social networks, 364–66
social preferences, 51
social viscosity, 365–66
Sociopath Next Door, The (Stout), 123–24
sociopaths, 123–24, 362, 363
Socrates, 167
Sokal, Robert, 55–56
Somerset, Major Fitzroy Richard, 4th Baron Raglan, 1
songbirds, 100
American, near eradication of, 37
dialects of, 8
South Africa, 32
South America, 35, 36
Soviet Union:
arms race with, 174
collapse of, 59, 363
Stalin’s purges in, 159
space shuttle, 241–42
Spain, 297, 309–10
Spanish language, 297–98, 300, 306
specialization, 75, 99–113, 183, 184, 185, 348, 356–57, 366
of cells in multicellular organisms, 105–6
competition engendered by, 108, 125
latent abilities unmasked by, 108–13
in Middle Ages, 102–3
painting as, 109–12
Ricardo’s law of comparative advantage in, 104–6, 108, 109, 121
self-interest and, 101–8
of social insects, 106
win-stay, lose-shift strategy in, 106–8, 109, 123
“Species of Thought” (Wilson), 150–51
Spencer, Herbert, 64
spite, 187, 188, 280–81
for unfairness, 198–200
Stark, Rodney, 148
Star Wars, 355
Stealth fighter planes, 293
stem cells, 354, 355
