Questions about the book
Begin with why.
An evolutionary view does not reduce children to biology. It adds a missing chapter to their story — and changes the questions we ask.
Eight short essays
Old questions, a longer view
Why the sweet tooth? Why the fear of sleeping alone? Is cooperation really part of human nature? These answers offer a taste of the reasoning at the heart of The Treasure Within.
Do some children’s behaviors no longer fit today’s world?
Why sleeping alone and unfamiliar vegetables can trigger old safety programs in a thoroughly modern home.
Read the answer 02Are children naturally “bad” eaters?
A sweet tooth and suspicion of greens once served a purpose. Children also bring a powerful program for learning what their community eats.
Read the answer 03Does evolution still shape our behavior?
Culture, experience and personality matter enormously, but they work with a shared human inheritance rather than on a blank slate.
Read the answer 04Why is the taste of an olive so hard to describe?
Our senses and minds are remarkable but selective tools, tuned to the problems that mattered in human history.
Read the answer 05Is evolution the wrong teacher for empathy and fairness?
Evolution does not simply reward brute strength. Cooperation, mutual support and shared care are part of the human story too.
Read the answer 06Does an evolutionary lens make us expect too much from children?
We sometimes overestimate babies’ ability to self-regulate while underestimating children’s drive to explore and contribute.
Read the answer 07Where can an evolutionary perspective be helpful?
Sleep, eating and tantrums are only the beginning: attachment, peer groups, personality and learning also come into view.
Read the answer 08Does evolution have anything to say about parenting?
It offers a disciplined question — why? — not a new dogma or a command to copy the past.
Read the answer