On human nature : biology, psychology, ethics, politics, and religion / edited by Michel Tibayrenc, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpelier, France ; Francisco J. Ayala, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Ayala School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States.

Includes index.

"Covers the present state of knowledge on human diversity and its adaptive significance through a broad and eclectic selection of representative chapters. This transdisciplinary work brings together specialists from various fields who rarely interact, including geneticists, evolutionists, physicians, ethologists, psychoanalysts, anthropologists, sociologists, theologians, historians, linguists, and philosophyers. Genomic diversity is covered in several chapters dealing with biology, including the differences in man and apes and the genetic diversity of mankind. Top specialists, known for their open mind and broad knowledge, have been carefully selected to cover each topic. The book is therefore at the crossroads between biology and human sciences, going beyond classical science in the Popperian sense. It is accessible not only to specialists, but also to students, professors, and the educated public. Glossaries of specialized terms and general public references help non-specialists understand complex notions, with contributions that avoid technical jargon"--Publisher's description.

Print version record.

<P><b>Part I- Biological basis of human diversity </b>1. The advent of biological evolution and humankind: chance or necessity? 2. Hominins: context, origins and taxic diversity 3. The history of early <i>Homo </i>4. The contribution of genetic ancestry from archaic humans to modern humans 5. World dispersals and genetic diversity of mankind: The Out-of-Africa theory and its challenges 6. Human population variability and its adaptive significance 7. Evolution and Implications of Genomic Diversity on 'Human Kind' in India 8. The human brain: evolution and distinctive features 9. Comparative Anthropogeny: How Different are Humans and "Great Apes"? 10. Human intergroup variation and disease genetics 11. Natural selection associated with infectious diseases 12. Aging, somatic evolution and cancer 13. Evolution of the human leucocyte antigen system 14. Human life history evolution: new perspectives on body and brain growth 15. Gorillas in Our Midst? Human Sexual Dimorphism and Contest Competition in Men 16. The human family: evolutionary origins and adaptive significance 17. Biological future of humankind -- ongoing evolution and the impact of recognition of human biological variation</p> <p><b>Part II- Psychology, behavior and society </b>18. Gene-culture models for the evolution of altruistic teaching 19. Multiple origins of agriculture in Eurasia and Africa 20. The quantum origin of life -- How the brain evolved to <i>feel good</i> 21. Empathy, Theory of Mind, Cognition, Morality, and Altruism 22. Cognitive ethology and social attention 23. Human sociobiology and group selection 24. Behavior Analysis, Darwinian Evolutionary Processes, and the Diversity of Human Behavior 25. A Psychoanalyst Views the Self Across Civilizations. 26. Biological and social causation of serious mental illness 27. The flexible psychological concept of normality 28. Diversity and hierarchization in the evolution of mental mechanisms 29. Human diversity at the individual and population levels, and societal hierarchies 30. Homosexuality and Evolution: A Critical Appraisal 31. The roots and individual diversity of addiction 32. Human variability and the origins and evolution of language 33. Human evolution and progress 34. Culture, Brain and Behavior: The implications of neural plasticity and development on social contexts and political structures</p> <p><b>Part III- Ethics, political and religious aspects </b>35. Adaptative significance of ethics and aesthetics 36. The politics of human nature 37. The race/ethnic debate: an outsider's view 38. Social Darwinism 39. History and diversity of religions 40. Religion viewed from different sciences 41. Universal Humanity, Religious Particularity, and Scientific Reductionism 42. Evolution and the future of medicine 43. The impact of modern medicine on human evolution 44. Science and technology in human societies: from toolmaking to technology 45. Biology, Psychology, Ethics, and Politics: An Innate Moral Sense? 46. What HIV has taught about the interactions between biology, culture and other evolving systems</p>

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