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I don't think his basis for rejecting that premise is fair. That's like rejecting the premise that certain vegetables taste good to us because they are good fo

• icebraining 9y ago
  But according to the article, Darwin himself said it "constituted an evolutionary mechanism separate, independent, and sometimes contrary to natural selection," not merely a signal for it.
  • subroutine 9y ago
    I feel like that quote might be out of context. If not, well then Darwin is wrong. After reading this article more carefully, one thing I'm certain is that Richard Prum lacks a fundamental understanding of evolution and natural selection. To me it seems clear that females' aesthetic preferences are subject to selection bias, no different than the male aesthetic, or any other physiological or behavioral quality that makes two conspecific animals slightly different. Also did anyone else notice the reviewer seems like Prum's book is literally getting them off.. "Prum seeks to prevail less through brute force of attack than by making his case with clarity, grace and charm. His attention never strays far from nature, and his writing in these bird passages is minutely detailed, exquisitely observant, deeply informed, and often tenderly sensual. When describing, say, the “throbbing” display of the lavishly decorated argus bird, he delivers a feathery brush of the erotic." The fuck.