[Because of the typeface limitations of this site, I have not distinguished
between my own words and those quoted from the book.  No plagiarism is
intended.]

We come into the world with certain inherited physiological and
psychological characteristics and certain basic biological imperatives if
we are to survive.  These are constrained by the environment to set the
absolute limits of our potential.  Society (family, community, state)
further limits our choices.  However, when it comes to society, we move
into areas in which we are not passively working within constraints; we
have the ability to influence the form our society takes.

Discussions on this group recently have concerned themselves primarily with
identifying the physiological survival strategies which best satisfied our
ancestors’ biological imperatives (and, to a lesser extent, social
imperatives) and translating these into strategies for surviving and
thriving today.  Essentially this means using today the patterns of
palaeolithic physical activity and nutrition which facilitated the
transformation of the Australopithecenes into Homo sapiens over the last 5
million years.

What the group has not discussed recently is the evolution of the human
mind which was advancing over the same period at much faster rate than our
physiological evolution.

The notion of evolutionary *mental* fitness seems to me to go hand in hand
with evolutionary *physical* fitness and so I was fascinated to read
Managing the Human Animal by Nigel Nicholson, a professor at the London
Business School.  The book will be published in the US in August 2001 under
the title Executive Intelligence.

Although the book is ostensibly about management, it has also direct
relevance for everyone in formal structures like a school, club or sporting
team.  And it has much to teach members of families and those seeking to
understand relationships between two people.

Nicholson opens with: This book is about the art of managing Stone Age
minds in the information age.  This line has resonances with Art de Vany’s
catchphrase about the Stone Age body in the pinstriped suit.  Using a
straight Darwinian paradigm Nicholson cuts through the utopian dreaming in
management and argues that we can get a lot more done by working with the
tidal flows of human nature than we can by imagining we can stop the tides
from coming in.

Nicholson also points to utopian dreaming about gender roles and, thus, the
importance of managers working with and capitalizing on human diversity.
The best managers, Nicholson says, are those who are able to relate to and
motivate people who differ radically from themselves as much as with those
who are similar.

He also criticizes the notion of dualism, the idea that we are separate
from nature: mind versus body, nature versus nurture, humanity versus the
natural world.  Evolutionary psychology takes us back to a unified view of
ourselves as part of nature.  Our psychology is part of our physical
existence.  The conviction that humans are somehow above nature is shared
by both the creationists and the social scientists who are obsessed with
the social construction of reality.  We evolutionists are under attack from
dualists on both sides!

Nicholson also refers to Darwin’s theory of sexual selection which says
that evolving forms need to do more than ensure the individual’s survival;
they also need to be forms which are sufficiently sexy to ensure that the
individual also can pass on their characteristics by securing mating
opportunities.  Hence Art de Vany’s “X” look.

Here are two more sentences from the book which, although about the brain,
are equally applicable to our bodies: our thought process is fuzzy,
nonlinear and full of imprecision, approximation, ambiguity and change.
The brain doesn’t calculate; it seethes and waves.

EvFit should, in my view, also be about helping us understand our hardwired
preferences, limitations and tendencies and helping us to become mentally
and psychologically fit as well as physically fit.  There is a notion going
around that people who do not engage in stimulating mental activity (for
example, those who sit passively in front of the television rather than
exercising their mind) are more prone to dementia in old age than those who
are mentally active, particularly those who are active doing what was
natural for millions of years: mixing, gossiping, coping and dealing with
other people.  There is no hard evidence for this, certainly no evidence as
to causality, but it would be nice to have a “mind gym” routine which
contributed to mental and psychological well-being!  Sadly, such a book is
still to be written.

So, what mental characteristics evolved most markedly and contributed to
our evolutionary success?  Not the ability to play chess or to solve
crossword puzzles!  Being smart socially.  This means: a better mental map
of the social network, more intelligence about whom to trust, a more
complex set of deals, more persuasive powers for forming relationships, and
better social navigational skills.  All these enhance one’s chances of
acquiring a good quality mate, ample resources for oneself and one’s family
and the best start in life for one’s offspring ... One of the things that
keep us healthy, both psychologically and socially, is having to come to
terms with people who are different from ourselves.  Committed life
partnerships between individuals have a healthy effect on both parties for
this reason ... Traditional marriage is both so hard and so rewarding
because it forces men and women to appreciate each other.

Verdict: a useful book.  As I read it I thought Yes!  That explains X! many
times.  If you are interested in the application of Darwin’s theory of
evolution to aspects of our lives beyond physiology and physical health,
try this book.  It is clearly written, explains evolutionary theory
succinctly and is interspersed with anecdotes and scenarios that illustrate
the principles .

Keith

PS  If you are interested in pursuing the ideas of evolutionary psychology,
this Salon.com article is a good starting point
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/08/30/evpsych/

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