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Examples Of Evolutionary Psychology

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Evolutionary Psychologists are making a mistake in supposing that modern human behavior can be explained by our evolutionary history. Although applying the evolutionary theory to the way we as humans act, there are still problems with the evolutionary theory. In this essay, I argue that (i) Humans do not solely act based on instinct like evolutionary history would suggest and (ii)not everyone’s behaviors are for reproductive success. I will start off this essay by explaining what evolutionary psychologists think human motives are ( Giving examples from famous Evolutionary Psychologist Darwin books that he has written about Evolutionary Theory). I will then present the two most cogent arguments against Darwin’s theory. These cases demonstrate …show more content…

*****make some bullshit up****** Another point Darwin makes is that expressions we make out of emotions and communication to signal others were originally not meant for this purpose and were meaningless. An example he uses is that “a sneer would be derived from a bearing of teeth which originally made it easier to bite; only later did it get used in communication”.(site) This does not necessarily make sense that every single thing we do relates back to what has happened years ago ( For example, Evolutionary psychology claims to explain all aspects of human behavior, and thence culture and society, on the basis of universal features of human nature that found their final evolutionary form during the infancy of our species some 100-600,000 years ago. This for Evolutionary Psychologist, what its protagonists describe as the ‘architecture of the human mind’ which evolved during the Pleistocene is fixed, and insufficient time has elapsed for any significant subsequent change*site*). Furthermore, Darwin’s book called The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, are full of clever ideas about how reproductive competition of the purely sexual kind might have affected the evolution of human behavior …show more content…

This undirected process has no goals. Being random, it tends to harm organisms and does not improve them or build complex difficulty. As expert on living things Lynn Margulis, a member of the U.S. National College/school of Sciences until her death in 2011, said: "New changes don't create new species; they create children/child that are damaged/weakened."1 (in almost the same way), the past president of the French College/school of Sciences, Pierre-Paul Grasse, said/argued that "[m]utations have a very limited 'constructive ability (to hold or do something)'" because "[n]o matter how many they may be, changes do not produce any kind of (change for the better, over

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Although unusual for his time, Darwin’s idea that nature obeys no moral laws gradually grew more and more prominent as further discoveries were made supporting an evolutionary history of the earth. This objective view of nature, Gould notes, resolves any cognitive dissonance created by a religious perspective— if nature is not constrained by human or even divine morals, it is unsurprising that humans are able to find evil in its ways. No longer blinded by faith that everything in nature exists for a godly purpose, Gould claims that an individual who looks at nature objectively can learn from its successes and

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Some examples of this were

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Questions of morality are abstract and extremely touchy. They are subject to enduring debates regarding its origins, nature, and limits, with no possibility of a consensus. Although the theories on morality often pursue diverse angles, among the most interesting ones that have come up in recent times revolve around the question whether human beings are born with an innate moral sense. Some scholars hold the view that humans are born with an inherent sense of morality while others believe the opposite that humans are not born with an innate moral sense holds true. By using Steven Pinker’s

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Reproductive behaviour can fall under either Nature or Nurture

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He mentions that, “The demonstration of any genetic bias cannot be used to justify a continuing practice in present and future societies”(Wilson 93). but merely expresses the need for the academic community to acknowledge that our genetic history does alter our spectrum of behaviors. He says that, “In the difficult journey ahead, during which our ultimate guide must be our deepest and, at present, least understood feelings, surely we cannot afford an ignorance of history”(Wilson 94). At the same time, he recognizes that human nature has the capacity for continued progress when he mentions that, “Genetic biases can be trespassed, passions averted or redirected, and ethics altered;and the human genius for making contracts an continue to be applied to achieve healthier and freer societies” (Wilson 94). Wilson’s ideas surrounding free will supports the concept that humans have constrained free will that is shaped by our

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Charles Darwin once said that the essence of an instinct is that it may be followed independently without the need of a necessary reason. In greater detail, the definition of an instinct is that it is an innate, evolutionary trait that typically is a fixed natural pattern of behavior which promotes a response to a stimuli. For instance, the presence of instincts can prove that natural selection favors actions that promote reproductive success, which may be the reasoning behind male dominance over their female counterparts. This is the explanation most feminist, Anthropological theorists believe is the presence behind male power in human and non-human primates. Specifically, it is theorized that this evolutionary, biological, or environmental

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Our behaviors seem to be much different than other prominent species and the underlying motivations for these behaviors are not entirely understood. Behavioral variances have many facets, and one would have difficulty identifying one single facet as more significant than the others. Based on the information provided in this chapter, I believe some behavioral variances can be traced back to the idea of

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Evolutionary psychology is the research in the social and natural sciences that studies psychological characteristics from a current evolutionary view. It tends to show that evolutionary psychology is in more of a pseudoscientific view because it is more based on the human’s emotions and personality traits the way they are rather than evidence based. Many people believe the type of nature humans are supposed to show and follow that just like people say men are not supposed to be masculine and not sensitive, which is not exactly true. Evolutionary psychology should be considered pseudoscientific because of the logic of forming explanations that can be proven and producing really poor evidence when contrasted to studies of animal behaviour. They assume that humans are the best example of nature and evolution, and that they must explain human behaviour as the natural status of evolution at its best.

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Evolutionary psychology is a truly fascinating field, as it provides valuable insights into what makes humans(and all sexual species) attracted to each other. Evolutionary psychology helps predict and create a greater understanding of the evolutionary roots of all peoples’ behavior. A theoretical approach in both the social and natural sciences, evolutionary psychology examines the psychological structure of a given individual from an evolutionary perspective. There are many different layers to evolutionary psychology, it is quite complex and explores not only what makes certain individuals more attractive than others(sexual selection), but also the effects of said attraction. Sexual selection is effected by two major factors: male competition

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Overall, the concept of Social Darwinism greatly supports the development of a more advanced society as its goal is to produce stronger humans, and thus a stronger society. In the Descent of Man, Darwin writes that “Man scans with scrupulous care the character and pedigree of his horses, cattle, and dogs before he matches them; but when he comes to his own marriage he rarely, or never, takes any such care” (227). Based on this, it is suggested that humans should take immense care in choosing their partners as if they were choosing a breeding match for one of their animals. This would mean looking back at the pedigree, or descent, of perspective partners to make sure they are descended from people who meet the standard. Distinguishing these standards would be simple, as the offspring of wise parents would not be on the same level as the offspring of foolish parents (Sumner 233), and a similar categorization would be made for all characteristics.

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Although the author revealed his unsatisfaction toward mechanistic interpretation, he approaches his argument in a scientific way to counter his audience, who may still disagree with him based on the scientific fact of superiority in intelligent of humans over the animals.

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The section that I chose was about biologically rooted social behavior. Individuals are shaped by previous experiences and genes, which is why we must understand both sides to fully comprehend individuals’ social behaviors. In a psychological standpoint, nature versus nurture reflects on how we shaped ourselves to become who we are today. The book mentions that we are bio-psycho-social organisms, because we consider the interactions of biological, psychological, and social influences. I chose biologically rooted social behavior because it’s interesting how I never realized that all three concepts correlated with each other.

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The topic of this assignment is to discuss and analyse what factors affect human behavior and in doing so how human behavior is shaped. But before discussing that, it is important to understand what human behavior is. To define it in a few sentences or words would not be sufficient as human behavior consists of many factors and therefore contributes majorly to who we are as a person. But to put it simply, it is defined as all actions and emotions that an individual portrays in response to the different kinds of stimuli they receive no matter whether these responses are conscious or subconscious and voluntary or involuntary (Merriam-webster.com, 2015).

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