The Handicap Principle: A Missing Piece of Darwin's Puzzle

by Avishag Zahavi and Amotz Zahavi

Book Overview

Ever since Darwin, animal behavior has intrigued and perplexed human observers. The elaborate mating rituals, lavish decorative displays, complex songs, calls, dances and many other forms of animal signaling raise fascinating questions. To what degree can animals communicate within their own species and even between species? What evolutionary purpose do such communications serve? Perhaps most importantly, what can animal signaling tell us about our...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195129148
• ISBN13: 9780195129144
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The full explanatory power of this book is unlikely to be accepted any time soon

In The Handicap Principle, the Zahavis have created a compelling case for a seemingly paradoxical revelation: Strength may only be demonstrated by showing vulnerability. The simplest distillation of its central tenets is that interspecies or intraspecies communication must be costly in order to be meaningful. While it would be useful for any animal to be able to view another's cardiovascular health, the body provides few outright signals of its internal function ... or does it? Amazingly, many seemingly useless appendages like peacock's tails do precisely that. If a peacock can grow a perfectly symmetrical, useless tail, chances are it's in good physical health otherwise. When we pause to try to determine which traits are considered beautiful, the likely candidates are those with no obvious survival value (long lustrous hair, unblemished skin, clear eyes, perfect teeth, symmetry, and artfully placed fat deposits). All of these traits are also the ones most vulnerable to parasites, and the first to fade in the event of poor health or old age. These are the last places an animal will put its nutritional resources if it was worried only about its daily survival. It is their very wastefulness that shows their value. While no one literally wears their hearts on their sleeves, our dermis is a fairly good proxy of our overall health. This is precisely because of its exceptional vulnerability. Indeed, any time a scientist wants to test material properties, he or she usually has to break the sample that is being tested. It is only by showing vulnerability that true (breaking) strength can be gauged. Thorstein Veblen's The Theory of the Leisure Class, published in 1899, and Nancy Etcoff's Survival of the Prettiest both form interesting companion pieces to this work. The Zahavis demonstrate that Veblen's concept of conspicuous consumption applies to the animal kingdom as well. Just like The Origin of Species or The Selfish Gene, the Handicap principle is a theory that has yet to be proven. From a scientific perspective, however, a theory is far more than a guess. Theories can be judged primarily for their explanatory power, and all of these works provide considerable ammunition. While The Handicap Principle is by no means proven, it provides an amazing lens through which to view the world. You'll never look at animals (or yourself) the same way again.

Truly Fabulous!

I thought that the Zehavis' research and book was outstanding. I feel this book and their theory is a must for any comprehensive review of the literature on altruism.

Best book on evolution in many years

Why does the peacock grow that tail? Why does the springbok leap straight up into the air when it sees a predator? Why do people behave heroically? The handicap principle answers these questions, eloquently, simply and with an overwhelming sense of conviction. The peacock is advertising his fitness. He is saying to the female in essence, I am so fit I can carry around this cumbersome adornment and still scratch out a very fine living. The springbok is saying to the predator: don't even think about going after me. I am in such good shape I can waste energy jumping up and down and still have plenty of reserves to outrun you. Save us both the bother and go after someone weaker. (By the way, the springbok jumps straight up instead of sideways because by jumping straight up its performance can be effectively judged by a predator from any direction.) And the man who dives into the swiftly flowing river to save a drowning child is actually advertising his fitness and improving his station in society. He is so fit he can take chances that others dare not. He's the man the women want to mate with.The Handicap Principle thus is about signals, signals between prey and predator, between one sex and the other, and between the individual and the group. The purpose of these signals is to display in an unequivocal way the fitness of the signaler. Note that such signals have to be "fake proof." They have to be what the authors call "reliable." An animal that can't run fast and has limited resources of energy can't waste them jumping in the air. It needs to get going immediately or to stay hidden if it is to have any chance of survival. A man leads with his chin. That's a signal that he's confident. When men had beards it was a little dangerous to stick your chin out since the other guy might grab your beard and you could be in trouble. People demonstrate wealth by wasting money. This is a "reliable" (if ugly) signal because without an ample supply of money, you can't afford to waste it.Part of the beauty of this book comes from the personality of the authors, who spent a large part of their lives studying little babbler birds in Israel. I feel I know these little social birds just from the loving descriptions in the text. One can see that even though the Zahavis made their discovery of the handicap principle in 1975 and waited almost two decades before it was generally accepted in the scientific community, they harbor no bitterness, nor is their tone at all gloating. They come across as hard-working field scientists who love their work and nature.Besides being full of exciting and original ideas, The Handicap Principle is also extremely well written. Each sentence is clear and to the point without the burden of unnecessary jargon or the wordy clumsiness sometimes found in such books. Amotz and Avishag Zahavi took great pride in effectively communicating their ideas to a wide audience. Additionally t

I loved it, insightful, entertaining, astounding.

This very readable book covers a wide range of biological behavior, and really demonstrates the reality of the Handicap Principle. Not only am I convinced of its truth, but now understand much more about human behavior than before.

Think natural selection is cool? This will expand your mind.

A compelling addition to the literature on natural selection and evolution. The Handicap Principle illustrates with compelling examples the reasons for the evolution of much animal behavior, coloring, and communication. A bit heavy on zoology for non-natural scientists, it however is a must read if you fancy yourself a student of evolution.