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The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee. Evolution and Human LifeHe has proved thai he musl be especially good al escaping predalors, finding food, and resisling disease. The bigger ihe handicap, ihe more rigorous ihe lest lhal he has passed. The female who selects such a male is like the medieval damsel testing her knighl suilors by walching ihem slay dragons. When she sees a one-armed knighl who can slill slay a dragon, she knows lhal she has finally found a knighl wilh greal genes. Thai knighl, by flaunting his handicap, is aclually flaunting his superiority. Il seems lo me lhal Zahavi's iheory applies to much cosily or dangerous human behaviour aimed at achieving stalus in general or al sexual benefils in particular. For inslance, men who woo women wilh cosily gifts and olher displays of weallh are in effecl saying, 'I have plenty of money lo support you and children, and you can believe my boast because you see how much money I'm spending now withoul blanching. People who show off expensive jewels, sports cars, or works of art gain slalus because ihe signal cannol be faked; everyone else knows whal those oslentatious objecls cosl ...» |
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