Evolution and Human Kinship

While there have been controversial attempts to link conclusions from sociobiological studies of animal populations to humans, few behavioural scientists or anthropologists have made serious progress. This book presents a theoretical approach to human social behaviour that is rooted in evolutionary biology and sociobiology. Hughes applies the principles of kin selection theory - which states that natural selection can favour social acts that increase the fitness of both individuals and their close relatives - to anthropological data, using mathematical and statistical techniques.