The Evolution of Beauty. How Darwin's Theory of Sexual Selection Explains the Animal World — and Ourselves

Understanding how mating preferences — which Darwin called 'the taste for the beautiful' — create the extraordinary diversity of the living world and contribute to evolution. Everyone knows the theory of natural selection (survival of the fittest), described by Charles Darwin. Not everyone knows his other theory — sexual selection, which delves into the realm of aesthetics. According to this theory, the animal world evolves primarily along the path of harmony and beauty, and a striking example of this is birds: the plumage of males, their songs, and courtship rituals carry, rather, an aesthetic load and sometimes contradict natural selection. But modest females make their irrational choices, and the lineage continues not with the strongest partners, but with those who are pleasing to the eyes or ears. The same aesthetic principle contributes to the evolution of all living beings, including humans. An attractive trait is formed generation after generation and ultimately becomes defining for the species. The book describes dozens of examples of evolutionary changes apparently caused solely by living beings' attraction to the beautiful, whether it be visual, auditory, or tactile sensations. You will also find colorful illustrations from the world of wildlife on these pages.