Nessays

Psychiatry’s Holy Grail does not exist. What now?

We need a medical view of disorders as failure modes in functional systems

Dec 14 • Randolph Nesse

38

7

7

October 2025

Viewing Diseases As Adaptations

An error that is as natural as it is serious

Oct 14 • Randolph Nesse

13

6

3

September 2025

Mood disorders are control system failure modes

Not products of specific brain abnormalities

Sep 15 • Randolph Nesse

50

1

11

Epistasis Illustrated

to make the concept and formulas make sense

Sep 7 • Randolph Nesse

8

1

May 2025

ADHD is not an adaptation

But foraging theory is crucial for understanding it

May 26 • Randolph Nesse

17

5

2

The Body is not a Machine

This post is adapted from my 2016 essay that inspired the 2025 PNAS Nexus article with Guru Madhavan and Jay Labov on the origins of failure in bodies…

May 22 • Randolph Nesse

20

2

2

What is evolutionary medicine?

Understanding why natural selection left us vulnerable to disease can improve health.

May 21 • Randolph Nesse

14

2

1

Why constructive engagement is rare

An evolutionary explanation for the great obstacle to science and congeniality

May 18 • Randolph Nesse

15

1