ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the insights that the biology of attachment offers for understanding the relationship between family law and family stability and then analyses the limitations of this analysis. It considers evolutionary analysis, comparative anatomy and neuroscience data to conclude that while the pair bond appears to be a universal feature of human sciences, long-term fidelity is not. The chapter also considers the benefits and limitations of evolutionary analysis. It describes that evolutionary analysis, without connection to modern neuroscience or sociological data, remains highly speculative. The chapter discusses that where the evolutionary analysis is borne out by modern neuroscience and/or sociological data, it is more persuasive, but often obvious. It describes that undertaking this type of examination nonetheless leads to new insights or new questions that should prompt productive research. The chapter also describes one's own adventures in considering the role of evolutionary analysis in family law.
