Why Evolution Favours Beauty Over Survival - Matt Ridley (Video)
In this 3 April 2025 Modern Wisdom video, host Chris Williamson talks with Matt Ridley, a science writer, journalist and author.
Evolution is a strange theory. If survival is all that matters, why do we find things beautiful? Why does beauty exist at all? And if aesthetics are so important, how do some species thrive without it?
Expect to learn what Darwin’s strangest ideas were, the fundamental mystery of sexual selection, why females choose certain males based on beauty and performance rather than obvious survival traits, if females actually have as much agency in mate selection as we assume, or if other forces dictate choice, the alternative explanations for beauty and why aesthetics are so important and more.
https://youtu.be/ZZPKJWiWeNU
00:00 Darwin’s Sexual Selection Theory
03:58 What Is The Fundamental Mystery When It Comes To Sexual Selection?
16:16 Why Were Birds Useful For This Study?
19:42 Do Females Choose Males Based On Beauty Rather Than Survival Skills?
22:24 Is Maximised Survival Seen As Sexiness?
27:11 Conventional Explanation For The Great Snipe
31:59 What Is The Lek Paradox?
34:47 Why Sexual Selection Could Be A Maladaptive Force
40:14 How Extreme Can These Traits Become?
44:58 Tiny Traits That We Could Overlook As Sexual Selection
47:37 Could Sexual Selection Have Shaped The Human Mind?
54:21 How Does This All Fit Together?
59:17 Parallels Between Bird Mating Behaviours And Human Romantic Displays
1:06:06 What We Should Learn About Biases In Interpreting Our Nature
1:09:53 Where To Find Matt
