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The Descent of Man, and the Selection in Relation to Sex

Disciplines:
ethics
philosophy of mind
biology

Summary

Charles Darwin's extension of evolutionary theory to human beings, arguing that humans evolved from earlier primates, and developing the theory of sexual selection as a mechanism distinct from natural selection.

Core Contribution

Human mental, moral, and social capacities evolved from animal precursors — there is no fundamental discontinuity between human and animal minds. Sexual selection (mate choice) operates alongside natural selection to produce characteristics valuable for reproduction rather than survival.

Historical Influences

Charles Darwin

Intellectual Lineage

No conceptual lineage found.

Allied Works

The Origin of Species Sociobiology

Contemporaries & Peers

No recorded contemporaries.

Minds Influenced

No recorded minds influenced.

Intellectual Posterity

No conceptual posterity found.

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