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ReviewA ‘must read’ for my undergraduate courses for the foreseeable future. — Henry PlotkinA lucid, sane and very intelligent alternative to the embattled rhetoric of recent debates. It is an altogether excellent book. — Patrick BatesonLaland and Brown succeed in parsing sense from nonsense. And they show that while each approach discussed has its strength and weaknesses, taken together they form a well-developed science of evolutionary explanations of human behaviour. Heredity … the book is immensely accessible and well organised. Heredity A useful read for students embarking on the study of evolution and human behaviour. Primate Eye A methodical, fair and thoughtful treatment of the big sociobiological questions … Laland and Brown write clearly and calmly. Their analysis should dispel the nonsense surrounding this subject. On these grounds alone, I recommend everyone with some influence or interest in popular culture read this book. New Scientist A welcome and incisive corrective to the disarray within evolutionary social theory. Human Nature Review This is a very lucid, clearly written summary of the hard research that surrounds the controversial field of evolutionary psychology – the study of how and why genes influence human behaviour, and if and how culture influences genes. Focus This is a superb book that I can recommend to anyone interested in these issues. It is a vehicle for a set of memes that I hope will invade the brains of many students of behaviour, ecology and evolution, and of their teachers too, for that matter. Trends in Ecology and Evolution Sense and Nonsense gives those interested in the use of evolutionary reasoning to explain human behaviour and culture a cogent, evenhanded and lucid survey of five disparate fields utilizing that apprach. More importantly, it provides substantive critical analysis of each … Throughout the authors deserve applause for their consistent clarity and fair-mindedness … a valuable book for many audiences. It should be useful even to those at the cutting edge of research … At the same time, it is not so technical that it couldn’t be of value to students and educated laypersons. Biology and Philosophy This is a remarkable book: succinct, informative and very sensible. It strips away the polemic to map a way forward, and it is worth reading by anybody interested in how best to analyse human behaviour. Times Higher Education SupplementLucid and balanced, Sense and Nonsense will hopefully reach a broad audience. — Sarah Hrdy, author of Mother Nature and The Woman that Never EvolvedReview”Lucid and balanced, Sense and Nonsense will hopefully reach a broad audience. May it become assigned reading for journalists reporting on this area.” –Sarah Hrdy”Laland and Brown are superb pilots for these treacherous waters. It is an altogether excellent book.” –Patrick Bateson”A must read for my undergraduate courses for the forseeable future.”–Henry Plotkin”What makes this book stand out from others trying to cover similar subject is that in each case there’s a survey of the most interesting hard research done in each field. Laland and Brown’s apolitical approach to the subject matter helps to distinguish between groundbreaking research and beguiling pseudo science lumped together in popular debate, and gives the book a refreshingly balanced refreshingly balanced perspective.”–Focus”[A]n informative, thoroughly documented book examining ways that evolutionary theory can help explain human social behavior. … The authors are gene-culture coevolutionists, but they give a well-balanced account of each of the approaches and illustrate ways they can be integrated.”–Choice