SEX, MURDER, AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

In 'Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life', social psychologist Douglas Kenrick exposes the selfish animalistic underside of human nature, and shows how it is intimately connected to our greatest and most selfless achievements. Masterfully integrating cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, and complexity theory, this intriguing book paints a comprehensive picture of the principles that govern our lives. As Kenrick divulges, beneath our civilized veneer, human beings are a lot like howling hyenas and barking baboons, with heads full of homicidal tendencies and sexual fantasies. But, in his view, many ingrained, apparently irrational behaviors such as inclinations to one-night stands, racial prejudices, and conspicuous consumption ultimately manifest what he calls "Deep Rationality".