The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex

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The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex

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July 16, 2026

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Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871) extends his theory of evolution by natural selection to human evolution. The book explores how natural selection applies to humans, considering factors beyond mere survival.1

A key concept introduced is sexual selection, which explains traits that may not directly aid survival but enhance an organism's ability to attract mates or compete for them. This can lead to characteristics like brighter plumage in birds or larger size in male mammals, as these traits increase reproductive success. Darwin argued that these mechanisms, operating over vast periods, shaped not only the physical but also the mental and moral faculties of humans.21

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animal learning
Complex problem solving
…however, the publication of Darwin’s Descent of Man (1871) that stimulated scientific interest in the question of mental continuity between man and other animals. Darwin’s young colleague, George Romanes, compiled a systematic collection of stories and anecdotes about the behaviour of animals, upon which he built an elaborate theory of…
Read More
…however, the publication of Darwin’s Descent of Man (1871) that stimulated scientific interest in the question of mental continuity between man and other animals. Darwin’s young colleague, George Romanes, compiled a systematic collection of stories and anecdotes about the behaviour of animals, upon which he built an elaborate theory of…
Read More

anthropology
History of anthropology
In 1871 Darwin published The Descent of Man, which argued that human beings shared a recent common ancestor with the great African apes. He identified the defining characteristic of the human species as their relatively large brain size and deduced that the evolutionary advantage of the human species was…
Read More
In 1871 Darwin published The Descent of Man, which argued that human beings shared a recent common ancestor with the great African apes. He identified the defining characteristic of the human species as their relatively large brain size and deduced that the evolutionary advantage of the human species was…
Read More

Charles Darwin
The private man and the public debate
…by Darwin in his two-volume The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871). The book was authoritative, annotated, and heavily anecdotal in places. The two volumes were discrete, the first discussing the evolution of civilization and human origins among the Old World monkeys. (Darwin’s depiction of a…
Read More
…by Darwin in his two-volume The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871). The book was authoritative, annotated, and heavily anecdotal in places. The two volumes were discrete, the first discussing the evolution of civilization and human origins among the Old World monkeys. (Darwin’s depiction of a…
Read More

instinct
Instinct as behaviour
His answer, in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871), was “sexual selection”—enhancement of reproductive success as a consequence of behaviour that includes conspicuous courtship displays. This comes in two forms: (1) competition between members of one sex for access to the other sex,…
Read More
His answer, in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871), was “sexual selection”—enhancement of reproductive success as a consequence of behaviour that includes conspicuous courtship displays. This comes in two forms: (1) competition between members of one sex for access to the other sex,…
Read More