Difficult Days for Evolutionary Psychology

Bravo to Sharon Begley for her terrific new Newsweek story about how hard science has caught up to the provocative discipline known as "evolutionary psychology." This is the field that, over the past two decades, has asserted that many unpleasant human behaviors like militarism and even infidelity are genetically hard-wired into every male brain. For many years, these ideas were challenged by social liberals, but not by scientists. Now many of the evo psych claims seem to be falling apart on their scientific merits. 

Begley ends her piece with this elegant summation of how evolution and genes work:

"Evolution indeed sculpted the human brain. But it worked in malleable plastic, not stone, bequeathing us flexible minds that can take stock of the world and adapt to it."

Over the years, we've all been taught that genes produce certain traits. But what genes really produce is a flexible framework that allow us to create our own traits in our own context.

Comments

[Barbara J]

And following the Newsweek report is David Brooks's column in the NY Times on Miller's book (see above) and why ev psych is too simplistic. (I agree.)

[Kevin Maloney]

I am quite enjoying Geoffrey Miller's take on evolutionary psych in his book 'Spent'.

My gross interpretation of his work (only half done the book btw) is NOT that evolution has hardwired for certain behaviors, but that we have been hardwired to seek the emotional/chemical payoff that comes from certain behaviors (that may be substituted for other behaviors to acheive roughly the same result).

[Ash]

thanks for sharing. I read the Newsweek article you gave the link for.I am amazed--is there a thing called 'rape gene'. It seems preposterous.If that thing is true,then anything can be explained away with genes.bad or good. No choice left.

But sometimes I wonder,that maybe i wouldn't want to believe in such a thing precisely because it would leave me with no choice.Like I already judge it's wrong and then would find evidence to prove it's wrong.what do you think?

--Ash