Person
Every book Douglas Kenrick recommended on podcasts
Douglas Kenrick approaches human behavior through the rigorous lens of evolutionary psychology, as demonstrated by his appearance on Modern Wisdom alongside David Kenrick. Drawing on extensive scientific literature, Kenrick explores the biological and historical underpinnings of human societies, status hierarchies, and interpersonal relationships. He references Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature to analyze historical data on violence and homicide rates, while also citing Martin Daly and Margo Wilson's Homicide to discuss statistical patterns surrounding aggressive behavior. To explain primate leadership styles and the evolution of social status, Kenrick references Frans de Waal's Chimpanzee Politics and Jane Beckman Lancaster's Primate Behavior and the Emergence of Human Culture, noting how early researchers applied these primatological insights to human evolutionary studies. Furthermore, he explores genetic and reproductive strategies by discussing Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene in the context of human lifespans, and highlights Geoffrey Miller's The The Mating Mind to explain sexual selection, intelligence displays, and the signaling of good genes. Balancing these heavy scientific texts with personal reflections, Kenrick also discusses Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It, appreciating its rich exploration of relationships and fly fishing while driving through Montana. Together, these recommended and discussed works outline a comprehensive evolutionary framework for understanding human nature.
Books recommended by Douglas Kenrick
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A river runs through it
Discussed“I got the audio tape of of a book called the river runs through it which is a very beautiful book”
Where to get it
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Chimpanzee Politics
Chimpanzee Politics by Frans de Waal is a renowned non-fiction book exploring the intricate social dynamics, power struggles, and alliance-building behaviors of chimpanzees, drawing striking parallels to human political structures.
Discussed“Like chimpanzee politics there was the head of the um”
Where to get it
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Homicide
Discussed“they wrote a book called homicide and one of the the counter people always used to say”
Where to get it
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Primate Behavior and the Emergence of Human Culture
Discussed“and I'd been reading a book by Jane Lancaster called primate Behavior and the emergence of human culture We thought well let's start to apply this to humans”
Where to get it
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The Better Angels of Our Nature
The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker is a comprehensive historical study arguing that violence has declined over the course of human history through the rise of governance, literacy, and commerce.
Discussed“but you know particularly the one the better angels of nature where he Compares all of the known data on violence”
Where to get it
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The Mating Mind
The Mating Mind by Geoffrey Miller is an evolutionary psychology book arguing that the human brain evolved primarily as a complex sexual ornament, much like a peacock's tail, to attract mates through creativity and intelligence.
Discussed“because uh you know Jeffrey Miller would argue he had he wrote a beautiful book called The Mating M I was with Jeffrey and Diana last night”
Where to get it
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The Selfish Gene
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is a widely influential popular science book that presents a gene-centric view of evolution and selection.
Discussed“like Dawkins talked about in the selfish Gene it isn't like that our genes actually make decisions”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evolved Psychology Vs The Modern World - David & Douglas Kenrick - #515 | Modern Wisdom | 2022-08-20 | 9 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and this old professor said it should have won the piter prize except that it came out the year of roots”