He recommends six that he read in 2012, including The Righteous Mind and Thinking Fast and Slow. One of his recommendations is a book from 2002, Paul Rubin’s Darwinian Politics, about which Collins posted a review.

Rubin’s basic position is that the political institutions of Western nations, and particularly the United States, are the best match with evolved human preferences. Humans seek freedom from dominance, with Western society maximizing that freedom. Political freedom allows citizens to form a reverse dominance hierarchy, with public pressure, wealth and constitutional frameworks limiting the ability of Western governments to exercise power. Western institutions also provide a framework that limits negative consequences of our evolved psyche, as the move away from kin based groups reduces xenophobic behaviour.

It would be interesting to stage a debate between Rubin and Michael Huemer.