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Flaws of Nature: The Limits and Liabilities of Natural Selection
Species evolve over time to become perfectly adapted to their environments, right?Well, sometimes.
Consider that an elephant will not grow a seventh set of teeth, even though wearing down the sixth will condemn it to starvation; that hosts of the European cuckoo seem unable to tell that the overgrown monster in their nest is not their own chick; and that whales are fully aquatic mammals who, millions of years after first abandoning the land, still cannot breathe underwater.
This book is about evolution, but not its greatest hits. Instead, it explores everything in the animal kingdom that is self-defeating, ill-made, uneconomical, or downright weird – and explains how natural selection has favoured it. In the grand struggle for survival, some surprising patterns animals are always slightly out-of-date; inefficiency tends to increase over time; predators usually lose, and parasites usually win. With equal parts humour and scientific insight, Andy Dobson is here to explain the how and why of evolution's limits and liabilities.
Consider that an elephant will not grow a seventh set of teeth, even though wearing down the sixth will condemn it to starvation; that hosts of the European cuckoo seem unable to tell that the overgrown monster in their nest is not their own chick; and that whales are fully aquatic mammals who, millions of years after first abandoning the land, still cannot breathe underwater.
This book is about evolution, but not its greatest hits. Instead, it explores everything in the animal kingdom that is self-defeating, ill-made, uneconomical, or downright weird – and explains how natural selection has favoured it. In the grand struggle for survival, some surprising patterns animals are always slightly out-of-date; inefficiency tends to increase over time; predators usually lose, and parasites usually win. With equal parts humour and scientific insight, Andy Dobson is here to explain the how and why of evolution's limits and liabilities.
301 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 20, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 6, 2025
Really good. It goes into what natural selection actually is and moves away from the idea that evolution is a perfect process or that we're evolving towards any sort of ideal.
The cheetah example will now be my go to for explaining it to anyone. I think some of the stuff on sexual selection falls victim to gendered pitfalls of cheating and other stuff. But that's more of a flaw of the field itself and the final chapter is pretty affirming.
The cheetah example will now be my go to for explaining it to anyone. I think some of the stuff on sexual selection falls victim to gendered pitfalls of cheating and other stuff. But that's more of a flaw of the field itself and the final chapter is pretty affirming.
December 21, 2025
this was BRILLIANT!! FASCINATING!! REFRESHING!! the author picked an overlooked intriguing angle of natural selection, never digressed nor made it about himself, AND his humor was just the cherry on top :D
wishing my next nonfiction nature reads are just as interesting as this one
wishing my next nonfiction nature reads are just as interesting as this one
January 16, 2025
Excellent book, a bit heavy going in parts but worth the effort. Any one with a desire to understand evolution should read this book.
Recommended!
Recommended!
January 9, 2026
A genuinely fascinating ‘different’ take on Evolution and Natural Selection.
The book opens with a quick simple overview of what evolution is, and what it means to talk about natural selection and the survival of the fittest. However, the majority of the book is focused upon examples which seem (on the surface) to raise questions about natural selection.
For example, chapter 1 looks at some predators, and we quickly find that they are not ‘very’ successful, all things considered. Polar bears are successful in securing prey on only 10% of the occasions in which they try to do so. Cheetah’s are probably the most successful predator, but they are only successful on 41% of the occasions. And the survival rate of a cub from birth to 17 months when the cub is capable of living independently is only around 4.8%. To the extent that those outcomes are products of natural selection, it doesn’t exactly point to an efficient or effective mechanism.
Later in the book we hear about elephants and Koala bears which wear out their teeth and are then left to starve to death. We hear about parasties and about snakes rendering bird populations extinct, and the remarkable ways that honeyguides work with humans and the ways Drongos attempt to deceive babblers. The details are fascinating.
As the book progresses we hear about comparisons between whales and fish, and the problems of whales occasionally drowning, especially when they get trapped in ice. It raises questions about why whales are not like fish. What these kinds of comparisons show is that Natural Selection has produced a ‘good enough’ world, but it is hardly one that is ideal or perfect. There are many flaws, in the sense that if the world was being designed from scratch in a creationist sense, you would really have to wonder how and why the resulting outcome could arise.
The final chapter was a little odd. It made some good points about the fallacy of equating good with natural, and it gave some pertinent reasons for doubting that. But it also went off on an intermission about issues of human sexuality and how they are (mistakenly) associated with what is natural. The points were interesting, but it was all very hurried and simplistic. Those issues would be better explored in a separate book, rather than squashed into the middle of a final chapter.
Textually the book was well presented. Each chapter contained (a few) references, and the notes appeared at the end of each chapter. About 10% of the book was dedicated to indexes and bibliographies where there were helpful suggestions for further reading.
Overall, the book presents a varied and interesting array of examples from the natural world, to argue persuasively that Natural Selection (or Nature itself) should never be mistaken for some kind of process that is bringing animals or humans to some kind of ideal or favourable state.
The book opens with a quick simple overview of what evolution is, and what it means to talk about natural selection and the survival of the fittest. However, the majority of the book is focused upon examples which seem (on the surface) to raise questions about natural selection.
For example, chapter 1 looks at some predators, and we quickly find that they are not ‘very’ successful, all things considered. Polar bears are successful in securing prey on only 10% of the occasions in which they try to do so. Cheetah’s are probably the most successful predator, but they are only successful on 41% of the occasions. And the survival rate of a cub from birth to 17 months when the cub is capable of living independently is only around 4.8%. To the extent that those outcomes are products of natural selection, it doesn’t exactly point to an efficient or effective mechanism.
Later in the book we hear about elephants and Koala bears which wear out their teeth and are then left to starve to death. We hear about parasties and about snakes rendering bird populations extinct, and the remarkable ways that honeyguides work with humans and the ways Drongos attempt to deceive babblers. The details are fascinating.
As the book progresses we hear about comparisons between whales and fish, and the problems of whales occasionally drowning, especially when they get trapped in ice. It raises questions about why whales are not like fish. What these kinds of comparisons show is that Natural Selection has produced a ‘good enough’ world, but it is hardly one that is ideal or perfect. There are many flaws, in the sense that if the world was being designed from scratch in a creationist sense, you would really have to wonder how and why the resulting outcome could arise.
The final chapter was a little odd. It made some good points about the fallacy of equating good with natural, and it gave some pertinent reasons for doubting that. But it also went off on an intermission about issues of human sexuality and how they are (mistakenly) associated with what is natural. The points were interesting, but it was all very hurried and simplistic. Those issues would be better explored in a separate book, rather than squashed into the middle of a final chapter.
Textually the book was well presented. Each chapter contained (a few) references, and the notes appeared at the end of each chapter. About 10% of the book was dedicated to indexes and bibliographies where there were helpful suggestions for further reading.
Overall, the book presents a varied and interesting array of examples from the natural world, to argue persuasively that Natural Selection (or Nature itself) should never be mistaken for some kind of process that is bringing animals or humans to some kind of ideal or favourable state.
April 4, 2026
from Grok
**《Flaws of Nature: The Limits and Liabilities of Natural Selection》**
作者：Andy Dobson
出版：2023年，The History Press（精裝本），約256頁
中文版：目前無正式譯本（截至2026年4月）
### 書籍大意
這本書不是歌頌自然選擇的「偉大成就」，而是專門探討**自然選擇的缺陷、限制與代價**。
作者Andy Dobson用幽默、機智又嚴謹的筆調，指出進化並非「完美設計師」，而是一個充滿妥協、權衡與「爛尾工程」的過程。
自然選擇只追求「夠用就好」（good enough），而不是「最佳解決方案」。它經常導致自相矛盾、浪費、危險或看似荒謬的結果，因為它只能在現有基礎上修修改改，無法從零開始重新設計。
全書核心論點：
**「進化不是通往完美的階梯，而是一場充滿妥協與後遺症的漫長妥協之旅。」**
作者透過豐富的動物界案例，系統拆解自然選擇在不同層面的局限性：種間衝突、性選擇、家族內衝突、個體與基因之間的衝突、環境限制等，展現進化如何在「生存與繁殖」的壓力下，製造出許多看似愚蠢或自毀的結果。
這本書適合對演化生物學感興趣，但想看到「進化黑暗面」的人閱讀。它既幽默又發人深省，讓你對「大自然是完美的」這句話產生強烈懷疑。
### 書籍結構與各章節精華（逐章整理）
**第1章：自然選擇不是萬能的工程師**
精華：自然選擇只能在現有遺傳基礎上工作，無法徹底重新設計。它經常導致「夠用就好」的爛解決方案。
舉例：大象一生只能長6套牙齒，第6套磨損後就無法進食，許多大象因此餓死。這是因為哺乳動物牙齒替換機制在演化上沒有進一步優化。
名言：「進化不是在畫一幅完美的畫，而是在一幅已經畫壞的畫布上繼續塗抹。」
**第2章：掠食者與獵物的軍備競賽**
精華：掠食者與獵物之間的選擇壓力不對等（「生命-晚餐原則」），導致獵物演化出極端防禦，而掠食者常常失敗。
舉例：許多掠食嘗試失敗率高達90%以上。斑馬身上的條紋不是為了隱藏，而是讓獅子難以鎖定單一目標（運動錯覺）。
名言：「掠食者輸掉的是一頓飯，獵物輸掉的是一條命——這就是為什麼獵物總是演化得更快。」
**第3章：性選擇的危險遊戲**
精華：性選擇常導致誇張而危險的特徵，因為「吸引配偶」與「生存」之間存在激烈衝突。
舉例：孔雀的巨大尾羽、某些魚類的長劍狀尾鰭、果蠅的超長眼柄——這些特徵讓雄性更容易被捕食，卻因為能吸引雌性而被保留。
名言：「雄性永遠處在『 unattractive but alive 』與『 attractive but dead 』之間的刀鋒上。」
**第4章：寄生與宿主的永恆戰爭**
精華：寄生蟲與宿主之間的選擇壓力不對等，寄生蟲演化速度更快，宿主永遠處於劣勢。
舉例：布穀鳥的巢寄生行為——布穀鳥蛋孵化後會把宿主蛋推出巢外，宿主鳥卻常繼續餵養「殺子仇人」。
名言：「在寄生關係中，宿主永遠在打一場輸掉的戰爭。」
**第5章：家族內部的衝突與利他行為**
精華：即使在家族內，個體利益與基因利益也常衝突，導致極端利他或自我犧牲行為。
舉例：巴西一種螞蟻（Forelius pusillus），部分工蟻在晚上會主動把自己封死在巢穴入口，犧牲自己保護整個蟻群。
名言：「基因不在乎個體死活，它只在乎自己能否傳下去。」
**第6章：個體與基因之間的拉鋸**
精華：個體是基因的「一次性載具」，許多對個體有害的性狀（衰老、某些疾病）卻因為在生殖年齡前無害而被保留。
舉例：拮抗多效性（antagonistic pleiotropy）——某些基因在年輕時帶來優勢（快速生長、強壯），年老後卻導致癌症或衰老。
名言：「我們的身體不是為長壽而設計，而是為盡早繁殖而設計。」
**第7章：環境限制下的演化妥協**
精華：環境變化太快或太極端時，自然選擇來不及跟上，導致許多不完美的適應。
舉例：北極熊的白色毛皮在融冰的環境中變得越來越不利，但演化速度跟不上氣候變遷的速度。
**第8章：結論——擁抱不完美**
精華：自然選擇的局限性正是生命的真實面貌。我們應該接受進化是「充滿缺陷的妥協」，而不是追求不存在的完美。
名言：「進化從未承諾要創造完美，它只保證『夠用』就能存活。」
### 整體評價與推薦
這本書用輕鬆幽默的筆調，拆解了「自然選擇無所不能」的迷思，讓讀者以更謙卑的眼光看待生物界的「爛設計」。
它適合對演化生物學、動物行為或「為什麼大自然看起來這麼不完美」感興趣的讀者。
讀完你會發現：大象磨損的牙齒、孔雀沉重的尾羽、寄生蟲的狡猾……這些都不是「失敗」，而是自然選擇在現實限制下的無奈妥協。
如果你想深入討論某個章節，或需要更多具體例子，歡迎告訴我！
**《Flaws of Nature: The Limits and Liabilities of Natural Selection》**
作者：Andy Dobson
出版：2023年，The History Press（精裝本），約256頁
中文版：目前無正式譯本（截至2026年4月）
### 書籍大意
這本書不是歌頌自然選擇的「偉大成就」，而是專門探討**自然選擇的缺陷、限制與代價**。
作者Andy Dobson用幽默、機智又嚴謹的筆調，指出進化並非「完美設計師」，而是一個充滿妥協、權衡與「爛尾工程」的過程。
自然選擇只追求「夠用就好」（good enough），而不是「最佳解決方案」。它經常導致自相矛盾、浪費、危險或看似荒謬的結果，因為它只能在現有基礎上修修改改，無法從零開始重新設計。
全書核心論點：
**「進化不是通往完美的階梯，而是一場充滿妥協與後遺症的漫長妥協之旅。」**
作者透過豐富的動物界案例，系統拆解自然選擇在不同層面的局限性：種間衝突、性選擇、家族內衝突、個體與基因之間的衝突、環境限制等，展現進化如何在「生存與繁殖」的壓力下，製造出許多看似愚蠢或自毀的結果。
這本書適合對演化生物學感興趣，但想看到「進化黑暗面」的人閱讀。它既幽默又發人深省，讓你對「大自然是完美的」這句話產生強烈懷疑。
### 書籍結構與各章節精華（逐章整理）
**第1章：自然選擇不是萬能的工程師**
精華：自然選擇只能在現有遺傳基礎上工作，無法徹底重新設計。它經常導致「夠用就好」的爛解決方案。
舉例：大象一生只能長6套牙齒，第6套磨損後就無法進食，許多大象因此餓死。這是因為哺乳動物牙齒替換機制在演化上沒有進一步優化。
名言：「進化不是在畫一幅完美的畫，而是在一幅已經畫壞的畫布上繼續塗抹。」
**第2章：掠食者與獵物的軍備競賽**
精華：掠食者與獵物之間的選擇壓力不對等（「生命-晚餐原則」），導致獵物演化出極端防禦，而掠食者常常失敗。
舉例：許多掠食嘗試失敗率高達90%以上。斑馬身上的條紋不是為了隱藏，而是讓獅子難以鎖定單一目標（運動錯覺）。
名言：「掠食者輸掉的是一頓飯，獵物輸掉的是一條命——這就是為什麼獵物總是演化得更快。」
**第3章：性選擇的危險遊戲**
精華：性選擇常導致誇張而危險的特徵，因為「吸引配偶」與「生存」之間存在激烈衝突。
舉例：孔雀的巨大尾羽、某些魚類的長劍狀尾鰭、果蠅的超長眼柄——這些特徵讓雄性更容易被捕食，卻因為能吸引雌性而被保留。
名言：「雄性永遠處在『 unattractive but alive 』與『 attractive but dead 』之間的刀鋒上。」
**第4章：寄生與宿主的永恆戰爭**
精華：寄生蟲與宿主之間的選擇壓力不對等，寄生蟲演化速度更快，宿主永遠處於劣勢。
舉例：布穀鳥的巢寄生行為——布穀鳥蛋孵化後會把宿主蛋推出巢外，宿主鳥卻常繼續餵養「殺子仇人」。
名言：「在寄生關係中，宿主永遠在打一場輸掉的戰爭。」
**第5章：家族內部的衝突與利他行為**
精華：即使在家族內，個體利益與基因利益也常衝突，導致極端利他或自我犧牲行為。
舉例：巴西一種螞蟻（Forelius pusillus），部分工蟻在晚上會主動把自己封死在巢穴入口，犧牲自己保護整個蟻群。
名言：「基因不在乎個體死活，它只在乎自己能否傳下去。」
**第6章：個體與基因之間的拉鋸**
精華：個體是基因的「一次性載具」，許多對個體有害的性狀（衰老、某些疾病）卻因為在生殖年齡前無害而被保留。
舉例：拮抗多效性（antagonistic pleiotropy）——某些基因在年輕時帶來優勢（快速生長、強壯），年老後卻導致癌症或衰老。
名言：「我們的身體不是為長壽而設計，而是為盡早繁殖而設計。」
**第7章：環境限制下的演化妥協**
精華：環境變化太快或太極端時，自然選擇來不及跟上，導致許多不完美的適應。
舉例：北極熊的白色毛皮在融冰的環境中變得越來越不利，但演化速度跟不上氣候變遷的速度。
**第8章：結論——擁抱不完美**
精華：自然選擇的局限性正是生命的真實面貌。我們應該接受進化是「充滿缺陷的妥協」，而不是追求不存在的完美。
名言：「進化從未承諾要創造完美，它只保證『夠用』就能存活。」
### 整體評價與推薦
這本書用輕鬆幽默的筆調，拆解了「自然選擇無所不能」的迷思，讓讀者以更謙卑的眼光看待生物界的「爛設計」。
它適合對演化生物學、動物行為或「為什麼大自然看起來這麼不完美」感興趣的讀者。
讀完你會發現：大象磨損的牙齒、孔雀沉重的尾羽、寄生蟲的狡猾……這些都不是「失敗」，而是自然選擇在現實限制下的無奈妥協。
如果你想深入討論某個章節，或需要更多具體例子，歡迎告訴我！
June 16, 2025
3.75 Rounding up a bit - like a lot of non-fiction books with a simple 'hook' this was strongest when it focused on the hook rather than the tangentially related digressions , but was generally very worthwhile and informative without undue padding. Like a lot of Pop-Sci evolutionary books some of the explanations of things like altruism and spite based on 'kin selection' felt a bit like a just so story. Questions like 'if we're only altruistic to favour the replication of our genes how come people can be absolute bastards to their blood relatives and then jump into icy waters to rescue a stranger?' always spring to mind. The epilogue on how the appeal to nature is a fallacy was strong. If Mr. Dobson were ever minded to write a book on the weaknesses of 'evo psych' I think that would be well worth a read.
August 26, 2023
A must-read for anyone interested in the world we share with our fellow creatures. Andy Dobson's writing style is clever, insightful, often amusing, and the bonus is you get to learn more than a little about the natural world around us.
I regularly found myself wandering off to quote various passages to my partner! There were answers within these pages about evolutionary blind spots, fatal progressions to extinction, and yet a joy and amusement to be found in the cunning manner some creatures use to cheat at the game of life.
I will be keeping an eye out for more works by Andy Dobson.
I regularly found myself wandering off to quote various passages to my partner! There were answers within these pages about evolutionary blind spots, fatal progressions to extinction, and yet a joy and amusement to be found in the cunning manner some creatures use to cheat at the game of life.
I will be keeping an eye out for more works by Andy Dobson.
September 8, 2024
This is what popular science books should be like. It takes a narrow, interesting subject - the limits of natural selection - and then goes deeply into it at a pace that the general reader can keep up with
It has the feel of one of Stephen J Gould's collections.
It has the feel of one of Stephen J Gould's collections.
March 26, 2025
This is science communication done right. A really well put together book that readers of any background will be able to absorb and enjoy.
March 21, 2026
I found it less fun than I had hoped. The science is quite dense, if that makes sense, with a much heavier focus on evolutionary biology than I anticipated.
December 28, 2025
"So is the cheetah a perfect predator? Quite the opposite; most of them will never kill a thing"
Sneaky. Drawn in by the limits of natural selection, and end up learning some of the intricacies of evolution. I absolutely loved it. Probably the best book I've read this year.
"It is very easy to point to instances where animals have evolved seemingly miraculous adaptations, but if, for example, we are to give credit to evolution for bestowing upon the clownfish an immunity to anemone stings, then we must also give it the blame for replacing its tongue with a live-in vampire."
Sneaky. Drawn in by the limits of natural selection, and end up learning some of the intricacies of evolution. I absolutely loved it. Probably the best book I've read this year.
"It is very easy to point to instances where animals have evolved seemingly miraculous adaptations, but if, for example, we are to give credit to evolution for bestowing upon the clownfish an immunity to anemone stings, then we must also give it the blame for replacing its tongue with a live-in vampire."
April 19, 2024
Flaws of Nature is a witty and smart ride into evolution's dark underbelly, focusing on its fascinating flaws and limitations. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2024...
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews