"A brilliant and troubling attempt to look into who we really are... . Wright's book constantly goads the reader to introspection, to fresh perspectives about one's choices and place in society. ... A subtle and stimulating interpretation that deserves wide debate." — Boston Globe Is monogamy natural for men? For women? Where does sibling rivalry come from? Why do parents favor some children over others? What evolutionary advantages might come from having low self-esteem? What are — the biological roots of self-deception? These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animal one of the most provocative science books in recent years, as well as one of the most genuinely important. As he presents the latest findings in the emerging field of evolutionary psychology — which views human behavior in light of Darwinian theory — Robert Wright unveils the unconscious strategies that shape our romantic choices, familial feelings, friendships, and office politics. And on a deeper level, this book compels us to rethink our most basic moral assumptions, with lasting implications for our public policy as well as for our intimate daily actions. "This clever and stimulating book is destined to become a classic. ... Like Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species and Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene, it could well change the way people think and feel about their lives — perhaps even how they behave.... The book is packed with insight into many current dilemmas. It is, into the bargain, an intellectual entertainment argued with wit and style." — THE ECONOMIST CHOSEN BY THE NEW YORK TIMES AS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR Acclaim for Robert Wright's THE MORAL ANIMAL "A feast of great thinking and writing about the most profound issues there are, and a treat for any thinking person... . Lucidly explains our understanding of the evolution of human moral sentiments and draws out provocative implications for sexual, family, office and societal politics... . Mr. Wright writes with a consistent, irreverent wit that does not hide a heartfelt seriousness of purpose." — Steven Pinker, The New York Times Book Review "The new field of evolutionary psychology — which seeks to explain human behavior, thought and emotions in terms of Darwinian evolution — finds its most articulate exponent in Robert Wright. In attempting to unravel the evolutionary logic behind friendship, romance, xenophobia, racism, sibling rivalry, and so forth, Wright leavens his presentation with wit and humor, interlacing a biographical profile of Charles Darwin, whose marriage, sex life, personal tragedies and travels in turns are thrust in a neo- Darwinian light... . The most sophisticated in-depth exploration to date of the new Darwinian thinking." — Publishers Weekly "Lively, engaging, and well-informed." — Wall Street Journal "An eye-opening, thought-provoking, spine-tingling, mind-boggling, wish-I-had-thought-of-that sort of science book." — Matt Ridley, Times Literary Supplement (London) "An engrossing guide, written with wit and an eye to inducting the ignorant into evolutionary psychology." — The Guardian (London) "Lucid and compelling." — Los Angeles Times ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robert Wright is a senior editor at The New Republic and coauthor of its TRB column. He has also written for The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and Time. He previously worked at The Sciences magazine, where his writings on science, technology, and philosophy won the National Magazine Award for Essay and Criticism. He is the author of Three Scientists and Their Gods: Looking for Meaning in an Age of Information. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two daughters. The Moral Animal THE M O R A L ANIMAL Evolutionary Psychology and Everyday Life ROBERT WRIGHT VINTAGE BOOKS A Division of Random House, Inc. New York FIRST VINTAGE BOOKS EDITION, SEPTEMBER 1995 Copyright © 1994 by Robert Wright All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Originally published in hardcover by Pantheon Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, in 1994. Illustration credits are on pages 465-466. The Library of Congress has cataloged the Pantheon edition as follows: Wright, Robert, 1957- The moral animal: the new science of evolutionary psychology / Robert Wright. p. cm. ISBN 0-679-40773-1 1. Sociobiology. 2. Psychology. 3. Human behavior. 4. Evolution. I. Title. GN365.3.W75 1994 304.5 — dc20 94-7486 Vintage ISBN: 0-679-76399-6 For Lisa Without thinking what he was doing, he took another drink of brandy. As the liquid touched his tongue he remembered his child, coming in out of the glare: the sullen unhappy knowledgeable face. He said, "Oh God, help her. Damn me, I deserve it, but let her live for ever." This was the love he should have felt for every soul in the world: all the fear and the wish to save concentrated unjustly on the one child. He began to weep; it was as if he had to watch her from the shore drown slowly because he had forgotten how to swim. He thought: This is what I should feel all the time for everyone... . — Graham Greene, The Power and the Glory Contents Introduction: DARWIN AND US · 3 Part One: SEX, ROMANCE, AND LOVE Chapter 1: DARWIN COMES OF AGE · 19 Chapter 2: MALE AND FEMALE · 33 Chapter 3: MEN AND WOMEN · 55 Chapter 4: THE MARRIAGE MARKET · 93 Chapter 5: DARWIN'S MARRIAGE · 108 Chapter 6: THE DARWIN PLAN FOR MARITAL BLISS · 128 Part Two: SOCIAL CEMENT Chapter 7: FAMILIES · 155 Chapter 8: DARWIN AND THE SAVAGES · 180 Chapter 9: FRIENDS · 189 Chapter 10: DARWIN'S CONSCIENCE · 210 Part Three: SOCIAL STRIFE Chapter 11: DARWIN'S DELAY · 229 Chapter 12: SOCIAL STATUS · 236 Chapter 13: DECEPTION AND SELF-DECEPTION · 263 Chapter 14: DARWIN'S TRIUMPH · 287 Part Four: MORALS OF THE STORY Chapter 15: DARWINIAN (AND FREUDIAN) CYNICISM · 313 Chapter 16: EVOLUTIONARY ETHICS · 327 Chapter 17: BLAMING THE VICTIM · 345 Chapter 18: DARWIN GETS RELIGION · 364 Illustrations