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A graduate student recently asked me the following question: 
 
In biology there is a theory called the Handicapped theory. It basically 
states that certain handicaps help males breed because females see this 
proof of their viability in other ways. The handicap of course is not a 
simple yes - no, but rather has gradations. By having many gradations, a 
handicap shows the relative fitness of say, males competing for a mate. 
such as how red a cardinal is. (Red is the handicap that attracts mates and 
predators).  
 
Anyway, in the book, _Narrow Roads of Gene Land vol. 2_ by W.D. Hamilton. 
Hamilton argues that the first, but very vague, version of this comes from 
Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class. I didnt' realize that Veblen made 
that claim or that Veblen understood costly signalling at all. Is this well 
known in the history of thought literature? Is this something that Hamilton 
came up with? 
 
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