"Love of Shopping" is Not a Gene: Problems with Darwinian PsychologyBased on Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection, "Evolutionary Psychology" claims that "its all in our genes." At the beginning of the 21st century, genes are used to explain almost every aspect of human life, from social inequalities to health, sexuality, and criminality. This book is a critique of Darwinian psychology--alias evolutionary psychology, alias sociobiology--the study of the social behavior of animals and people based on evolution. In this provocative work, Innis Dagg, an eminent and outspoken critic of this ideology, first presents an overview of the theory and its popularity both among professionals and lay people, then she examines concepts of social behavior--based on 'genes vs culture'--including: aggression in the form of rape, infanticide, homicide, gang violence and war, and general criminality; homosexuality in both the human and the animal world; and race, IQ, and environment. Focusing on the problems present in much Darwinian psychological research--flawed data, faulty analysis, and political motives--this controversial book offers the first comprehensible critique of the most popular scientific theory of the late 20th century: Evolutionary Psychology. In the end, Innis Dagg presents a new perspective which acknowledges the complexity of life by placing at its center the living organism, in its environment, rather than the gene. |
Contents
A Strange Tale Of NonDarwinian Lions | 1 |
Theory Driving The DataInfanticide | 10 |
3 | 19 |
Copyright | |
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"Love of Shopping" is Not a Gene: Problems with Darwinian Psychology Anne Innis Dagg No preview available - 2005 |
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adult African aggression American ancestors animals anthropologists apes asymmetry average babies baboons Baker and Bellis believe Bell Curve biological birds bonobos brain cause cent Chapter cheating child chimpanzees chromosome copulate copulatory plug correlated crime criminal cubs culture Darwinian psychology dominant E.O. Wilson eggs estrus evolutionary strategy evolved example father fertile Frans de Waal gay gene genes genetic inheritance Goodall gorillas heterosexual homosexual homosexual behavior Human Behavior human evolution hypothesis individuals infanticide intelligence IQ scores killed large number live Lombroso mammals mate million monkeys mothers nomadic occur offspring orangutans pairs parents partner penis person Philippe Rushton population possible pregnancy primates produce proponents of Darwinian race rape reproductive Rushton same-sex scientists seen sexual social behavior societies Sociobiology species sperm competition tests theory tion traits University usually violence Waal wild woman women Y chromosome York young