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Exaptation, adaptation, and evolutionary psychology.

Armin Schulz1

  • 1Department of Philosophy, Logic, and Scientific Method, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE, UK. a.w.schulz@lse.ac.uk

History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences
|January 29, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study examines the adaptationism debate in evolutionary psychology, focusing on the concepts of adaptation and exaptation. It argues that the common understanding of exaptation differs from its original definition, impacting the debate.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Critiques of evolutionary psychology often cite an overemphasis on adaptations versus exaptations.
  • The standard rebuttal suggests exaptation studies rely on adaptation research.

Discussion:

  • The paper highlights a divergence between the common and original definitions of exaptation.
  • This definitional difference impacts the validity of standard rebuttals to adaptationist critiques.
  • Evolutionary psychologists may dismiss the original exaptation concept as uninteresting.

Key Insights:

  • The adaptationism debate in evolutionary psychology is nuanced by differing definitions of exaptation.
  • The common understanding of exaptation is insufficient for addressing Gould's original critique.
  • Re-evaluating the theoretical and empirical relevance of exaptation is crucial.

Outlook:

  • Further analysis is needed to determine the most fruitful approaches to the adaptationism debate.
  • Clarifying the concept of exaptation can refine evolutionary psychology's methodological discussions.
  • This work contributes to a more robust understanding of evolutionary theory and its applications.