Authors:
David W. Lawson Human Evolutionary Ecology Group Department of Anthropology, University College London, UK

Search for other papers by David W. Lawson in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Fiona M. Jordan Human Evolutionary Ecology Group Department of Anthropology, University College London, UK
AHRC Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity Department of Anthropology, University College London, UK

Search for other papers by Fiona M. Jordan in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
, and
Kesson Magid Human Evolutionary Ecology Group Department of Anthropology, University College London, UK

Search for other papers by Kesson Magid in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Restricted access

Abstract

Kanazawa (2007) proposes the ‘evolutionary psychological imagination’ (p.7) as an authoritative framework for understanding complex social and public issues. As a case study of this approach, Kanazawa addresses acts of international terrorism, specifically suicide bombings committed by Muslim men. It is proposed that a comprehensive explanation of such acts can be gained from taking an evolutionary perspective armed with only three points of cultural knowledge: 1. Muslims are exceptionally polygynous, 2. Muslim men believe they will gain reproductive access to 72 virgins if they die as a martyr and 3. Muslim men have limited access to pornography, which might otherwise relieve the tension built up from intra-sexual competition. We agree with Kanazawa that evolutionary models of human behaviour can contribute to our understanding of even the most complex social issues. However, Kanazawa's case study, of what he refers to as ‘World War III’, rests on a flawed theoretical argument, lacks empirical backing, and holds little in the way of explanatory power.

  • M. Borgerhoff Mulder 1990 Kipsigis women's preference for wealth men: evidence for female choice in mammals Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 27 255 264.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • D. M. Buss 1989 Sex differences in human mate preferences: Evolutionary hypotheses tested in 37 cultures Behavioral and Brain Sciences 12 1 49.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • J. Chamie 1986 Polygyny among Arabs Population Studies 40 55 66.

  • A. F. Dixson 1998 Primate Sexuality: Comparative Studies of the Prosimians, Monkeys, Apes, and Human Beings Oxford University Press Oxford.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • R. Dunbar L. Barrett 2007 Evolutionary psychology in the round R. I. M. Dunbar The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology Oxford University Press Oxford.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • S. Edwards 1995 Marriage and childbearing patterns differ greatly across developing world International Family Planning Perspectives 21 44 45.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • R. Foley 1996 The adaptive legacy of human evolution: A search for the environment of evolutionary adaptedness Evolutionary Anthropology 4 194 203.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • T. L. Friedman 1999 The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalisation Anchor Books New York.

  • T. L. Friedman 2002 Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World before and after September 11 Penguin London.

  • S. W. Gangestad M. G. Haselton D. M. Buss 2006 Evolutionary foundations of cultural variation: Evoked culture and mate preferences Psychological Inquiry 17 7 955.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • M. Ghallab 1984 Population theory and policies in the Islamic world J. I. Clarke Geography and Population: Approaches and Applications Pergamon Oxford 232 241.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • R. D. Guthrie 2006 The Nature of Paleolithic Art University of Chicago Press Chicago.

  • C. Holden R. Mace 1997 Phylogenetic analysis of the evolution of lactose digestion in adults Human Biology 69 605 628.

  • W. Irons 1998 Adaptively relevant environments versus the environment of evolutionary adaptedness Evolutionary Anthropology 6 194 204.

  • B. C. Jones L. M. Debruine A. C. Little R. P. Burriss D. R. Feinberg 2007 Social transmission of face preferences among humans Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 274 899 903.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • S. Kanazawa 2007 The evolutionary psychological imagination: why you can't get a date on a saturday night and why most suicide bombers are Muslim Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology 1 7 17.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • K. N. Laland G. R. Brown 2006 Niche construction, human behaviour, and the adaptive-lag hypothesis Evolutionary Anthropology 15 95 104.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • F. W. Marlowe 2003 The mating system of foragers in the standard cross-cultural sample Cross-Cultural Research 37 282 306.

  • F. Moore C. Cassidy 2007 Female status predicts female mate preferences across nonindustrial societies Cross-Cultural Research 41 66 74.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • M. N. Muller R. W. Wrangham 2005 Testosterone and energetics in wild chimpanzees Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii American Journal of Primatology 66 119 130.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • D. Nettle 2007 Individual differences R. Dunbar L. Barrett The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology Oxford University Press Oxford.

  • C. M. Obermeyer 1992 Islam, women, and politics: The demography of Arab countries Population and Development Review 18 33 60.

  • B. Pawlowski R. I. M. Dunbar 1999 Impact of market value on human mate choice decisions Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 266 281 285.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • R. Potts 1998 Variability selection in hominid evolution Evolutionary Anthropology 7 81 96.

  • H. N. Qirko S. Atran 2004 “Fictive kin” and suicide terrorism Science 304 49.

  • R. Sear D.W. Lawson T. E. Dickins 2007 Synthesis in the Human Evolutionary Behavioural Sciences Journal of Evolutionary Psychology 5 3 28.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • U. Segerstråle 2000 Defenders of the Truth: The Sociobiology Debate Oxford University Press Oxford.

  • E. A. Smith 1998 Is Tibetan polyandry adaptive? Methodological and metatheoretical considerations Human Nature 9 225 264.

  • S. C. Strum 1994 Reconciling aggression and social manipulation as a means of competition. 1. Life-history perspective International Journal of Primatology 15 739 765.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • J. Tooby L. Cosmides 2005 Conceptual foundations of evolutionary psychology D. M. Buss The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology Wiley New Jersey 5 67.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • United Nations. Dept. of EconomicSocial Affairs. Population Division. 2004 World fertility report, 2003 United Nations New York.

  • Warraq, I. (2002, January 12): Virgins? What virgins? The Guardian.

  • C. F. Westoff A. K. Blanc L. Nyblade 1994 Marriage and entry into parenthood Macro International Calverton, MA.

  • E. White 1978 Legal reforms as an indicator of women's status in Muslim nations K. N. Beck Women in the Muslim World Harvard University Press London 52 68.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Collapse
  • Expand

Journal of Evolutionary Psychology 
Language English
Size  
Year of
Foundation
2007 (2003)
Publication
Programme
changed title
Volumes
per Year
 
Issues
per Year
 
Founder Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's
Address
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Publisher's
Address
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Responsible
Publisher
Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 1789-2082 (Print)
ISSN 2060-5587 (Online)

Monthly Content Usage

Abstract Views Full Text Views PDF Downloads
Aug 2024 21 0 0
Sep 2024 23 0 0
Oct 2024 72 0 0
Nov 2024 43 0 0
Dec 2024 25 0 0
Jan 2025 22 0 0
Feb 2025 5 0 0