Abstract
The use of tools to obtain food is probably a long-standing hominid adaptation. Therefore, the rapid increase in hominid brain size over the last million years cannot be explained by selection for basic tool use alone. Two alternative theories, here termed the ecological adaptation hypothesis and the intraspecific competition hypothesis, are reviewed and rejected. Instead, a combination of these two theories is offered: the mental arms race amplifier hypothesis.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Alexander, R. D. (1971). The scarch for an evolutionary philosphy of man.Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 84: 99–119.
Alexander, R. D., and Tinkle, D. W. (1968). A comparative book reivew ofOn Aggression by Konrad Lonrenz andThe Territorial Imperative by Robert Ardrey.Bioscience 18: 245–248.
Bartholomew, G. A., Jr., and Birdsell, J. B. (1953). Ecology and the protohominids.American Anthropologist 55: 481–498.
Bigelow, R. S. (1969).The Dawn Warriors: Man's Evolution Toward Peace. Little, Brown, Boston.
Caspari, E. (1963). Selective forces in the evolution of man.American Naturalist 97: 5–14.
Chance, M. R. A. (1962). Social behaviour and primate evolution. In Montagu, A. (ed.),Culture and the Evolution of Man, Oxford Univ. Press, New York, pp. 84–130.
Darwin, C. (1901).The Descent of Man, revised edition. John Murray, London.
Geertz, C. (1962). The growth of culture and the evolution of mind. In Scher, J. M. (ed.),Theories of the Mind, Macmillan, New York, pp. 713–740.
Goodall, J. v. L. (1973). The behavior of chimpanzees in their natural habitat.American Journal of Psychiatry 130: 1–12.
Gould, S. J. (1978).Ever Since Darwin, Reflections in Natural History. Andre Deutsch, London, pp. 70–75.
Haigh, J., and Rose, M. R. (1980). Evolutionary game auctions.Journal of Theoretical Biology, to be published.
Hamilton, W. D. (1975). Innate social aptitudes of man: An approach from evolutionary genetics. In Fox, R. (ed.),Biosocial Anthropology, Malaby Press, London, pp. 133–145.
Humphrey, N. K. (1976). The social function of intellect. In Bateson, P. P. G., and Hinde, R. A. (eds.)Growing Points in Ethology, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, England, pp. 303–317.
Keith, A. (1946).Essays on Human Evolution. Watts & Co., London.
Lancaster, J. B. (1968). On the evolution of tool-using behavior.American Anthropologist 70: 56–66.
Maynard Smith, J. (1974). The theory of games and the evolution of animal conflicts.Journal of Theoretical Biology 47: 209–221.
Maynard Smith, J. (1976). Evolution and the theory of games.American Scientist 64: 41–45.
Maynard Smith, J., and Price, G. R. (1973). The logic of animal conflict.Nature 246: 15–18.
Pilbeam, D. (1972).The Ascent of Man. Macmillan, New York.
Pitt, R. (1978). Warfare and hominid brain evolution.Journal of Theoretical Biology 72: 551–575.
Trivers, R. L. (1971). The evolution of reciprocal altruism.Quarterly Review of Biology 46: 35–57.
Washburn, S. L. (1957). Speculations on the interrelations of the history of tools and biological evolution. In Spuhler, J. N. (ed.),The Evolution of Man's Capacity for Culture, Wayne State Univ. Press, Detroit, pp. 21–31.
Washburn, S. L. (1960). Tools and human evolution.Scientific American 203: 63–75.
Washburn, S. L. (1968). Behavior and the origin of man.Rockefeller University Review (Jan.–Feb.): 10–18.
Washburn, S. L., and Avis, V.(1958). Evolution of human behavior. In Roe, A., and Simpson, G. G. (eds.),Behavior and Evolution, Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, pp. 421–436.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rose, M.R. The mental arms race amplifier. Hum Ecol 8, 285–293 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01561028
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01561028