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Homicide and Kinship
Author(s) -
DALY MARTIN,
WILSON MARGO
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1982.84.2.02a00090
Subject(s) - homicide , kinship , citation , history , sociology , criminology , law , poison control , medicine , suicide prevention , political science , anthropology , environmental health
replicating his or her genes, through both personal reproduction and the promotion of reproduction by genetic relatives. Evolution by natural selection produces motivational structures that are effectively "nepotistic" (in the sense of Alexander 1979:45-46). In a socially complex species, we should therefore expect to find solidarity among close kin on the one hand, and increasing conflict with decreasing relatedness on the other (see, e.g., Essock-Vitale and McGuire 1980). This view of self-interest as fundamentally nepotistic constitutes a general theory of commonality and conflict of interest. As such, it should cast some light on that most drastic of conflict resolution techniques, homicide.