Baby Wars: The Dynamics of Family Conflict

As changes in the structure of the family pervade modern society, experts from many fields are racing to explain the ramifications and origins of these variations. Baker and Oram (Sperm Wars) sidestep social science and psychology to discuss the genesis of today's family dynamics from the standpoint of evolutionary biology. The authors draw on recent research to attempt to show that the basis of familial conflict lies not in our psyches but in our genes, and to prove the provocative if narrow theorem that natural selection drives family members to position themselves for ""reproductive success"" in either the present or the long run. They range widely over such topics as infidelity, postpartum depression, incest and mate selection, with fictional scenarios that will strike a familiar chord for many readers. In each, they emphasize how the characters (and by extension, all humans) are motivated by a desire to replicate as favorably as possible. The authors further assert that these drives are hardwired into our genetic makeup. Baker and Oram emphasize that familial conflicts are normal, inevitable and educational, and that even apparently destructive and irrational actions have a deep-seated biological coherence. Written specifically for a lay audience, this primer on the Darwinian viewpoint in the nature vs. nurture debate is bound to be controversial. (Apr.)