Adapting Minds Evolutionary Psychology and the Persistent Quest for Human Nature

Evolutionary Psychologists claim that their account of human nature

follows from applying the principles of evolutionary biology to the study
of the human mind. Consequently, to truly understand Evolutionary Psychology,
and to be in a position to critically evaluate it, it is essential to
have a basic understanding of evolutionary theory. This chapter provides
the necessary introduction to the fundamentals of evolutionary biology.
For the initiate, this may be a slow go. But theoretical principles and concepts
explained in this chapter will repeatedly turn up later in our examination
of Evolutionary Psychology, so understanding them is a necessary
first step toward understanding Evolutionary Psychology.
In developing their account of human nature, Evolutionary Psychologists
build on (their interpretation of ) the reigning orthodoxy in evolutionary
biology. Aspects of this reigning orthodoxy are currently being

challenged by a number of researchers in developmental biology. As a
result, one could endorse one of these recent challenges and criticize Evolutionary
Psychology for erecting itself on a mistaken biological foundation.
Although some have taken this approach, I will not. For I think it is
far too early to tell whether any of these challenges will fundamentally
change the way we think about evolution. Instead, throughout this book
I will take for granted the reigning orthodoxy in evolutionary biology, just
as Evolutionary Psychologists do. Here, then, is a brief introduction to
orthodox neo-Darwinian evolutionary biology.

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