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Preference, Rationality and Interindividual Variation: The Persisting Debate About Female Choice

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Current Perspectives on Sexual Selection

Part of the book series: History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences ((HPTL,volume 9))

Abstract

Contemporary research on sexual selection remains deeply influenced by the controversy between Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace about the true nature and importance of female choice. After briefly reviewing the main points of disagreement between the two famous evolutionists, I discuss some methodological issues relevant to the contemporary study of female choice. I first use some recent controversy about sexual selection in the Indian Peafowl, Pavo cristatus, to illustrate several recurring problems and shortcomings in the empirical study of female preference for male characters. I then address the empirical evidence for rationality in female choice, and discuss how the recently emerged concept of animal personality may help to understand how inter-individual variation in female choice can be maintained in natural populations. Finally, I examine the possibility to develop a more integrated framework for the empirical study of female choice.

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  1. UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France

    Frank Cézilly

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    Thierry Hoquet

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Cézilly, F. (2015). Preference, Rationality and Interindividual Variation: The Persisting Debate About Female Choice. In: Hoquet, T. (eds) Current Perspectives on Sexual Selection. History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9585-2_9

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