The Ape That Understood the Universe: How the Mind and Culture Evolve

In this broad brushstroke work of evolutionary psychology, Stewart-Williams (Darwin, God and the Meaning of Life), an associate psychology professor at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus, attempts to counter explanations for human behavior that emphasize socialization over instinct. Despite the book’s title, Stewart gives the most attention to sex and sex differences. He opens with an “Alien’s Report” on humankind wherein the alien, claiming no stake in the game, expresses dismay at debates about sex and gender: “many humans find [sex differences] strangely upsetting.” Fortunately, this awkward conceit is largely forgotten after the first chapter. Stewart focuses on arguing that, as humans evolved for life as hunter-gatherers on the African savannah, human biology and psychology are in some ways mismatched to the modern world, thus driving, for instance, high rates of obesity. Stewart doesn’t deeply engage the debates to which he refers—such as over female participation in the workforce, or the formation of beauty standards—preferring to take broad swipes at the social sciences. For example, without reference to specific texts or discussions, he charges that “many social scientists ‘blame’ the sex difference in parental care on Western norms and values.” In the end, it’s clear where Stewart stands—for nature over nurture—just not that he’s well supported there. (Dec.)