The ant and the peacock

Cronin named her book after two organisms that gave Charles Darwin some difficult moments as he struggled with his theory of natural selection. The vast majority of ants are sterile workers, never reproducing, each always ready to engage in potential sacrifice of self for colony. How can natural selection, a theory based on self-preservation, explain the curious altruism of the ant? The peacock carries with it an immense and gaudy tail, far more than would seem a necessity for survival. If anything, this ornamentation reduces survival potential, another problem for such a utilitarian theory as natural selection. Darwin developed evolutionary insights into both altruism and sexual ornamentation, and Cronin has skillfully traced Darwin's explanations from 1859 to the present. The book is divided into three parts: a historical introduction to Darwinism, a discussion of sexual selection, and a discussion of altruism and kin selection. The text is particularly strong in its use of historical context, including a liberal sprinkling of quotations. Complex ideas are well explained in a manner somewhat reminiscent of Richard Dawkins's style, and his influence on Cronin is felt throughout the book. Anyone seriously interested in Darwinism, sexual selection, and altruism should read this book. Strongly recommended. General; undergraduate; graduate. J.C. Kricher; Wheaton College (MA)--Choice Review.

The "ant" and the "peacock" stand for two puzzles in Darwinism--altruism and sexual selection. How can natural selection favor those, such as the worker ant, that renounce tooth and claw in favor of the public-spirited ways of the commune? And how can "peacocks"--Flamboyant, ornamental and apparently useless--be tolerated by the grimly economical Darwinian reaper? Helena Cronin has a deep understanding of today's answers to these riddles and their roots in the nineteenth century; the analysis is new and exciting and the explanations lucid and compelling. Annotation Published: April 2014.