Eckart Voland - Böcker

By the year 2030, the average life expectancy of women in industrialized countries could reach ninety-exceeding that of men by about ten years. At the present time, postmenopausal women represent more than fifteen percent of the world’s population and this figure is likely to grow.From an evolutionary perspective, these demographic numbers pose some intriguing questions. Darwinian theory holds that a successful life is measured in terms of reproduction. How is it, then, that a woman’s lifespan can greatly exceed her childbearing and childrearing years? Is this phenomenon simply a byproduct of improved standards of living, or do older women-grandmothers in particular-play a measurable role in increasing their family members’ biological success?Until now, these questions have not been examined in a thorough and comprehensive manner. Bringing togethertheoretical and empirical work byinternationally recognized scholars in anthropology, psychology, ethnography, and the social sciences, Grandmotherhood explores the evolutionary purpose and possibilities of female post-generative life. Students and scholars of human evolution, anthropology, and even gerontology will look to this volume as a major contribution to the current literature in evolutionary studies.

Evolutionary Aesthetics is the attempt to understand the aesthetic judgement of human beings and their spontaneous distinction between "beauty" and "ugliness" as a biologically adapted ability to make important decisions in life. The hypothesis is - both in the area of "natural beauty" and in sexuality, with regard to landscape preferences, but also in the area of "artificial beauty" (i.e. in art and design) - that beauty opens up fitness opportunities, while ugliness holds fitness risks. In this book, this adaptive view of aesthetics is developed theoretically, presented on the basis of numerous examples, and its consequences for evolutionary anthropology are illuminated.

In a Darwinian world, religious behavior - just like other behaviors - is likely to have undergone a process of natural selection in which it was rewarded in the evolutionary currency of reproductive success.

Evolutionary Aesthetics is the attempt to understand the aesthetic judgement of human beings and their spontaneous distinction between "beauty" and "ugliness" as a biologically adapted ability to make important decisions in life. The hypothesis is - both in the area of "natural beauty" and in sexuality, with regard to landscape preferences, but also in the area of "artificial beauty" (i.e. in art and design) - that beauty opens up fitness opportunities, while ugliness holds fitness risks. In this book, this adaptive view of aesthetics is developed theoretically, presented on the basis of numerous examples, and its consequences for evolutionary anthropology are illuminated.

In a Darwinian world, religious behavior - just like other behaviors - is likely to have undergone a process of natural selection in which it was rewarded in the evolutionary currency of reproductive success. This book aims to provide a better understanding of the social scenarios in which selection pressure led to religious practices becoming an evolved human trait, i.e. an adaptive answer to the conditions of living and surviving that prevailed among our prehistoric ancestors. This aim is pursued by a team of expert authors from a range of disciplines. Their contributions examine the relevant physiological, emotional, cognitive and social processes. The resulting understanding of the functional interplay of these processes gives valuable insights into the biological roots and benefits of religion.

Soziobiologie ist den evolutionsbiologischen Ursprüngen und Gründen tierlichen und menschlichen Sozialverhaltens auf der Spur. In diesem Buch werden Strategien sozialer Konkurrenz, also Gewalt, Kampf und Dominanz behandelt, aber auch Kooperation, Altruismus und Solidarität. Die Interessen der beiden Geschlechtern sind Treibstoff der sexuellen Selektion. Kooperation ist also immer auch brüchiger Kompromiss im Kampf der Geschlechter zu verstehen. Außerdem geht es um die neuesten Erkenntnisse zur Evolution der Eltern/Kind-Verhältnisses und um ein Brutpflegeverhalten, das Kindesvernachlässigung und zugleich auch tief empfundene elterliche Zuneigung und Fürsorge möglich macht. Beschrieben wird, wie eine evolutionäre Perspektive auf das menschliche Verhalten zum modernen Menschenbild beiträgt. Das Buch richtet sich an Studierende und Lehrende der Biologie, Anthropologie, Psychologie und Sozialwissenschaften und an alle an der evolutionären Geschichte des menschlichen Sozialverhaltens Interessierte.