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Evolutionary psychology: a house built on sand.
1Department of Mathematics, King's College London, London, UK. peter.saunders@kcl.ac.uk
Advances in Child Development and Behavior
|July 10, 2013
Summary
Darwinism explains functional traits without a creator but falls short in fully explaining organismal complexity. Evolutionary psychology, while Darwinian, relies on premises about modular brains and natural selection for human nature.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Biology
- Philosophy of Science
Background:
- Darwinism provides a framework for understanding functional traits in living organisms.
- Existing models may not fully account for the complexity of why organisms are structured and function as they do.
- The role of natural selection in shaping biological and psychological traits is a central tenet.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the explanatory power of Darwinism beyond functional traits.
- To examine the foundational assumptions of evolutionary psychology.
- To assess the implications of Darwinian principles for understanding human nature.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of Darwinian theory and its application in biology and psychology.
- Review of core tenets in evolutionary psychology, including modularity and natural selection.
- Philosophical examination of the premises underlying evolutionary psychology models.
Main Results:
- Darwinism adequately explains functional traits without recourse to a creator.
- Darwinism alone may not provide a complete explanation for the totality of organismal form and function.
- Evolutionary psychology operates on the premise of a modular brain shaped by natural selection.
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive understanding of organisms requires integrating insights from all of science, not solely Darwinian principles.
- The validity of evolutionary psychology's conclusions is contingent upon acceptance of its foundational assumptions regarding brain modularity and natural selection.
- Further research is needed to explore alternative or complementary frameworks for understanding organismal complexity.
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