Similarities Between Gantt And Slife

Gantt and Slife (2015) asked whether or not evolution provides a good explanation for psychological concepts; and the answer is “no”. Greek philosophers first introduced the question as to why organisms adapt to environments during the 7th Century BC (Shtulman, 2006). However, it was Darwin, who formulated the very first theory of evolution (via natural selection) in 1859, leading to confoundment and controversy through present day. Michael Ghiselin inaugurated the term evolutionary psychology in 1973; and Barkow, Cosmides and Tooby universalized starting in 1992. Evolutionary psychology maintains that the mind (and traits) have been determined by evolutionary forces in order to facilitate survival and “copying” (reproduction). Supporters of evolutionary psychology continue to weigh in, asserting that traits are best answered by the theory of natural selection. In opposition,

The term nihilism refers to an abject dismissal of any and all religious and moral ideals. Nihilists accept that life is mostly meaningless and without purpose. Philosophers have long been fascinated with morality and its moral judgment underpinnings (Krellenstein, 2017). It has not been this way, however, with the evolutionary psychologists. Evolutionary psychology, instead, expressly sees nobility and morality as evolutionary-rooted “game advantages” for people, who are simply trying to survive. Nevertheless, evolutionary psychologists have not, so far, been able to effectively explain morality’s mechanisms (and origins) (Krellenstein, 2017). Thus, if one accepts evolution as a sufficient explanation for psychological concepts, one must also accept that morality is not inherent and merely an adopted collective survival skill. It seems equally obvious that evolutionary psychology should be compelled to divorce itself from religion and spirituality