Includes bibliographical references (p. [281]-292) and index.

1. The significance of Darwinism: What problems does the theory of evolution solve? ; Evolution by natural selection in a nutshell ; Incorporating genetics : the modern synthesis ; Common objections and misunderstandings -- 2. Variation: The phenotype ; The genotype ; Genetic variation ; From genotype to phenotype -- 3. Heredity: Inheritance does not work by blending ; Mendelian genetics ; Quantitative genetics ; Heritability and natural selection -- 4. Competition: Malthus : checks on reproduction and competition to reproduce ; Natural selection at the genotypic level ; Group selection ; Kin selection ; Advanced topics : evolutionary transitions, levels of selection, and intra-genomic conflict -- 5. Natural selection: Modes of selection ; Selection and variation ; Selection and adaptation ; Constraints on optimality ; How to test adaptationist hypotheses ; Getting natural selection clear -- 6. Sex: The diversity of reproduction in nature ; Why have any sex at all? ; The evolution of anisogamy ; Sex differences ; Pluralism in sexual strategies ; Sexual selection and mate choice in humans -- 7. Life histories: When to die : the evolution of life span ; When to breed : the evolution of reproductive strategies ; Parental care ; Grandparental care -- 8. Social life: Why live in groups? ; Types of group ; Consequences of group living ; Human groups in comparative perspective ; Cooperation -- 9. Plasticity and learning: Conditions for the evolution of phenotypic plasticity ; Developmental induction ; Imprinting ; Associative learning ; Social learning ; Learning and adaptation -- 10. Our place in nature: Reconstructing the tree of life ; Humans as primates ; What makes humans different? -- 11. Evolution and contemporary life: Human evolution in still going on ; Evolution leaves a legacy ; The place of evolutionary theory in the explanation of current behaviour ; How should cross-cultural variation be explained? ; How much of our behaviour is adaptive?