Links this week:

1. Brandon Keim discusses a new Science paper by Douglas Fry and Patrik Söderberg questioning how warlike human nature is. My two cents: a war to personal violence ratio is a poor way to look at this. If we interpret the ratio in the other direction, we could say that human nature inclines us to high rates of interpersonal violence. I’d prefer examination of baseline rates.
2. Larry Arnhart has continued his series of posts on the Mont Pelerin Society Meeting in the Galápagos. Two posts of note: Leda Cosmides and John Tooby on liberalism and mismatch; and Richard Wrangham on the evolution of war (the Wrangham post directly addresses the Science paper linked above).
3. Nicholas Christakis proposes a shake up of the social sciences. Andrew Gelman responds, Christakis comments and Gelman responds again.
4. Paul Frijters goes on a rant on magical explanations for the rise of obesity.
5. Baba Brinkman schools Jeremy Yoder.

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