John Dupré
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199284214
- eISBN:
- 9780191700286
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199284214.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
Charles Darwin transformed our understanding of the universe and our place in it with his development of the theory of evolution. One hundred and fifty years later, we are still puzzling over the ...
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Charles Darwin transformed our understanding of the universe and our place in it with his development of the theory of evolution. One hundred and fifty years later, we are still puzzling over the implications. This book presents an introduction to evolution and what it means for our view of humanity, the natural world, and religion. The author explains the right and the wrong ways to understand evolution: in the latter category fall most of the claims of evolutionary psychology, of which the author gives a withering critique. He shows why the theory of evolution is one of the most important scientific ideas of all time, but makes clear that it cannot explain everything — contrary to widespread popular belief, it has very little to tell us about the details of human nature and human behaviour, such as language, culture, and sexuality.Less
Charles Darwin transformed our understanding of the universe and our place in it with his development of the theory of evolution. One hundred and fifty years later, we are still puzzling over the implications. This book presents an introduction to evolution and what it means for our view of humanity, the natural world, and religion. The author explains the right and the wrong ways to understand evolution: in the latter category fall most of the claims of evolutionary psychology, of which the author gives a withering critique. He shows why the theory of evolution is one of the most important scientific ideas of all time, but makes clear that it cannot explain everything — contrary to widespread popular belief, it has very little to tell us about the details of human nature and human behaviour, such as language, culture, and sexuality.
Norman A. Johnson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195306750
- eISBN:
- 9780199790203
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306750.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Natural selection is not the only evolutionary “force” that can alter frequencies of genetic variants; random genetic drift (a sampling process) persistently changes the gene pool of populations, ...
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Natural selection is not the only evolutionary “force” that can alter frequencies of genetic variants; random genetic drift (a sampling process) persistently changes the gene pool of populations, especially in small populations. Moreover, at the molecular level, negative selection is more prevalent than positive selection as deleterious mutations occur much more than do advantageous mutations. Motoo Kimura, a Japanese evolutionary geneticist, expanded on Darwinian evolution and formulated what is now called the neutral theory of molecular evolution. According to Kimura, patterns of molecular evolution are determined primarily by mutation, genetic drift, and negative selection. This chapter discusses the development of the neutral theory, and explains how it lays the foundation to produce tests used to detect positive selection and balancing selection. It also contains a discussion of hypothesis testing.Less
Natural selection is not the only evolutionary “force” that can alter frequencies of genetic variants; random genetic drift (a sampling process) persistently changes the gene pool of populations, especially in small populations. Moreover, at the molecular level, negative selection is more prevalent than positive selection as deleterious mutations occur much more than do advantageous mutations. Motoo Kimura, a Japanese evolutionary geneticist, expanded on Darwinian evolution and formulated what is now called the neutral theory of molecular evolution. According to Kimura, patterns of molecular evolution are determined primarily by mutation, genetic drift, and negative selection. This chapter discusses the development of the neutral theory, and explains how it lays the foundation to produce tests used to detect positive selection and balancing selection. It also contains a discussion of hypothesis testing.
Roland Kley
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198279167
- eISBN:
- 9780191684289
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198279167.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Friedrich A. Hayek shrouds market rules in still greater obscurity when he makes the further claim that they possess a social wisdom of which human reason is incapable. This claim lies at the heart ...
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Friedrich A. Hayek shrouds market rules in still greater obscurity when he makes the further claim that they possess a social wisdom of which human reason is incapable. This claim lies at the heart of his theory of cultural evolution. The self-coordination in the market and the institutional and social background conditions required for this process to operate do not pose intractable explanatory problems. It is not particularly difficult to understand how, in the market, cooperation works. What Hayek calls ‘rules’ are constraining and enabling conditions under which people are free to pursue their interests in the way they deem best and to engage in exchange with whomever they want. This chapter examines Hayek's traditionalism by focusing on his theory of cultural evolution. It then analyses the ambiguous scope of Hayekian evolution, his functionalism, and his adaptationism. The chapter concludes with an overall assessment of his evolutionary theory and a discussion of his instrumentalist conception of the rules of individual conduct.Less
Friedrich A. Hayek shrouds market rules in still greater obscurity when he makes the further claim that they possess a social wisdom of which human reason is incapable. This claim lies at the heart of his theory of cultural evolution. The self-coordination in the market and the institutional and social background conditions required for this process to operate do not pose intractable explanatory problems. It is not particularly difficult to understand how, in the market, cooperation works. What Hayek calls ‘rules’ are constraining and enabling conditions under which people are free to pursue their interests in the way they deem best and to engage in exchange with whomever they want. This chapter examines Hayek's traditionalism by focusing on his theory of cultural evolution. It then analyses the ambiguous scope of Hayekian evolution, his functionalism, and his adaptationism. The chapter concludes with an overall assessment of his evolutionary theory and a discussion of his instrumentalist conception of the rules of individual conduct.
Roland Kley
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198279167
- eISBN:
- 9780191684289
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198279167.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Friedrich A. Hayek thinks liberalism is the right political doctrine because, unlike socialism and other collectivist creeds, it is committed to institutions that take account of the social world as ...
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Friedrich A. Hayek thinks liberalism is the right political doctrine because, unlike socialism and other collectivist creeds, it is committed to institutions that take account of the social world as it is. He even deems the liberal market society the only feasible alternative because it alone admits of those self-coordinating mechanisms, such as the market, on which modern society vitally depends. Similarly, he portrays the institutions of the liberal market society as the work of a singular evolutionary development in the course of which they have proved their value and wisdom. So it is concerns of viability that are decisive when, in his political philosophy, Hayek endeavours to justify the institutions of the liberal market society. This chapter examines Hayek's instrumental justification of the liberal market society, as well as his traditionalist and proceduralist arguments. The chapter concludes by analysing how the various liberal (and conservative) arguments of a moral philosophical nature, which Hayek also seems to advance, relate to his instrumental perspective.Less
Friedrich A. Hayek thinks liberalism is the right political doctrine because, unlike socialism and other collectivist creeds, it is committed to institutions that take account of the social world as it is. He even deems the liberal market society the only feasible alternative because it alone admits of those self-coordinating mechanisms, such as the market, on which modern society vitally depends. Similarly, he portrays the institutions of the liberal market society as the work of a singular evolutionary development in the course of which they have proved their value and wisdom. So it is concerns of viability that are decisive when, in his political philosophy, Hayek endeavours to justify the institutions of the liberal market society. This chapter examines Hayek's instrumental justification of the liberal market society, as well as his traditionalist and proceduralist arguments. The chapter concludes by analysing how the various liberal (and conservative) arguments of a moral philosophical nature, which Hayek also seems to advance, relate to his instrumental perspective.
Norman A. Johnson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195306750
- eISBN:
- 9780199790203
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306750.003.0004
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Positive natural selection, though rare in comparison with negative selection, is the main evolutionary force responsible for adaptive evolutionary change. Using the neutral theory to generate null ...
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Positive natural selection, though rare in comparison with negative selection, is the main evolutionary force responsible for adaptive evolutionary change. Using the neutral theory to generate null hypotheses, evolutionary geneticists have developed tests for detecting positive selection. Several of these tests make use of DNA sequence data sets that contain information on both variation existing within a species (polymorphism) and differences accumulated between species (divergence). This chapter focuses on the McDonald-Krietman test, a powerful but relatively simple test of detecting positive selection. Also discussed is how inferences about the action of selection can be made through the examination of linkage disequilibrium, patterns of correlations of genetic variants at different (but linked) sites. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the legacy of Kimura and his neutral theory of molecular evolution.Less
Positive natural selection, though rare in comparison with negative selection, is the main evolutionary force responsible for adaptive evolutionary change. Using the neutral theory to generate null hypotheses, evolutionary geneticists have developed tests for detecting positive selection. Several of these tests make use of DNA sequence data sets that contain information on both variation existing within a species (polymorphism) and differences accumulated between species (divergence). This chapter focuses on the McDonald-Krietman test, a powerful but relatively simple test of detecting positive selection. Also discussed is how inferences about the action of selection can be made through the examination of linkage disequilibrium, patterns of correlations of genetic variants at different (but linked) sites. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the legacy of Kimura and his neutral theory of molecular evolution.
Dennis L. Krebs
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199778232
- eISBN:
- 9780199897261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199778232.003.0015
- Subject:
- Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Social Psychology
In this chapter, three refinements in Darwin’s theory of evolution and three criticisms of evolutionary approaches to human behavior that have important implications for morality are discussed. The ...
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In this chapter, three refinements in Darwin’s theory of evolution and three criticisms of evolutionary approaches to human behavior that have important implications for morality are discussed. The first refinement stems from the discovery that genes constitute the primary unit of inheritance. The second stems from the models of social evolution developed by game theorists, and the third stems from the use of evolutionary theory in deciphering the design of proximate mental mechanisms. Evolutionary approaches to human behavior have been falsely accused of advocating a strong form of genetic determinism and neglecting the role played by the environment in the determination of social behaviors, of assuming that all evolved traits are adaptive, and of making up “just so” stories to account for the evolution of traits.Less
In this chapter, three refinements in Darwin’s theory of evolution and three criticisms of evolutionary approaches to human behavior that have important implications for morality are discussed. The first refinement stems from the discovery that genes constitute the primary unit of inheritance. The second stems from the models of social evolution developed by game theorists, and the third stems from the use of evolutionary theory in deciphering the design of proximate mental mechanisms. Evolutionary approaches to human behavior have been falsely accused of advocating a strong form of genetic determinism and neglecting the role played by the environment in the determination of social behaviors, of assuming that all evolved traits are adaptive, and of making up “just so” stories to account for the evolution of traits.
Joshua Duntley and Todd K. Shackelford (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195325188
- eISBN:
- 9780199893805
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195325188.001.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Forensic Psychology
The field of forensic psychology explores the intersection of psychology and the law. The purpose of this book is to examine topics in the field, using the powerful, multidisciplinary, conceptually ...
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The field of forensic psychology explores the intersection of psychology and the law. The purpose of this book is to examine topics in the field, using the powerful, multidisciplinary, conceptually integrated approach that the natural sciences have embraced for decades with great success. Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is the meta-theoretical framework that unifies the field of biology. It unites research with understanding of the development, control, and organization of behavior. The study of humans, which includes all of the social sciences, is part of the field of biology. Darwin's theory provides a powerful meta-theoretical framework that can unify and energize forensic psychology, just as it has the biological sciences. Evolutionary processes undoubtedly shaped physiological characteristics to help solve problems of survival and reproduction. The lungs, for example, with their vast surface area and moist membranes, are marvellous adaptations for extracting oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. Natural selection is the only known process capable of shaping complex functional mechanisms. Just as it shaped physiological adaptations with specific problem-solving functions, it also shaped our thoughts and emotions to guide behaviors toward solving recurrent problems of survival and reproduction. With this logic, we can use knowledge of ancestral problems to guide our understanding of how the mind works. Evolutionary Forensic Psychology is a step toward a unified and complete understanding of psychology and the law. It recognizes that crimes such as murder, nonlethal violence, rape, and theft are manifestations of evolutionarily recurrent selection when they gave individuals an advantage in competition for resources. Each of the chapters that comprise this volume has been selected to provide a unified examination of research contributions and future directions of evolutionary forensic psychology.Less
The field of forensic psychology explores the intersection of psychology and the law. The purpose of this book is to examine topics in the field, using the powerful, multidisciplinary, conceptually integrated approach that the natural sciences have embraced for decades with great success. Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is the meta-theoretical framework that unifies the field of biology. It unites research with understanding of the development, control, and organization of behavior. The study of humans, which includes all of the social sciences, is part of the field of biology. Darwin's theory provides a powerful meta-theoretical framework that can unify and energize forensic psychology, just as it has the biological sciences. Evolutionary processes undoubtedly shaped physiological characteristics to help solve problems of survival and reproduction. The lungs, for example, with their vast surface area and moist membranes, are marvellous adaptations for extracting oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. Natural selection is the only known process capable of shaping complex functional mechanisms. Just as it shaped physiological adaptations with specific problem-solving functions, it also shaped our thoughts and emotions to guide behaviors toward solving recurrent problems of survival and reproduction. With this logic, we can use knowledge of ancestral problems to guide our understanding of how the mind works. Evolutionary Forensic Psychology is a step toward a unified and complete understanding of psychology and the law. It recognizes that crimes such as murder, nonlethal violence, rape, and theft are manifestations of evolutionarily recurrent selection when they gave individuals an advantage in competition for resources. Each of the chapters that comprise this volume has been selected to provide a unified examination of research contributions and future directions of evolutionary forensic psychology.
David Sepkoski and Michael Ruse (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226748610
- eISBN:
- 9780226748597
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226748597.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Paleontology
Paleontology has long had a troubled relationship with evolutionary biology. Suffering from a reputation as a second-tier science and conjuring images of fossil collectors and amateurs who dig up ...
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Paleontology has long had a troubled relationship with evolutionary biology. Suffering from a reputation as a second-tier science and conjuring images of fossil collectors and amateurs who dig up bones, it was marginalized even by Darwin himself, who worried that incompleteness in the fossil record would be used against his theory of evolution. But with the establishment of the modern synthesis in the 1940s and the pioneering work of George Gaylord Simpson, Ernst Mayr, and Theodosius Dobzhansky, as well as the subsequent efforts of Stephen Jay Gould, David Raup, and James Valentine, paleontology became embedded in biology and emerged as paleobiology, a first-rate discipline central to evolutionary studies. This incredible ascendance of this once-maligned science to the vanguard of a field is chronicled in this book. Chapters here aim to capture the excitement of the seismic changes in the discipline.Less
Paleontology has long had a troubled relationship with evolutionary biology. Suffering from a reputation as a second-tier science and conjuring images of fossil collectors and amateurs who dig up bones, it was marginalized even by Darwin himself, who worried that incompleteness in the fossil record would be used against his theory of evolution. But with the establishment of the modern synthesis in the 1940s and the pioneering work of George Gaylord Simpson, Ernst Mayr, and Theodosius Dobzhansky, as well as the subsequent efforts of Stephen Jay Gould, David Raup, and James Valentine, paleontology became embedded in biology and emerged as paleobiology, a first-rate discipline central to evolutionary studies. This incredible ascendance of this once-maligned science to the vanguard of a field is chronicled in this book. Chapters here aim to capture the excitement of the seismic changes in the discipline.
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226712024
- eISBN:
- 9780226712055
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226712055.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
This chapter focuses on the gradual, uniform development of Charles Darwin's embryological ideas and their role in his species theory. The principle of embryological and recapitulation model allowed ...
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This chapter focuses on the gradual, uniform development of Charles Darwin's embryological ideas and their role in his species theory. The principle of embryological and recapitulation model allowed Darwin to resolve the problem of accounting for the unity of type, the Cuvierian embranchments of design, that almost every leading naturalist of the time recognized in the animal kingdom. This problem hovered over Darwin's early efforts at constructing his theory of evolution, and his deferred resolution at the end of Origin of Species demonstrates its critical role in the formation of the theory. The principle of recapitualtion served as the aortic connection for three components of his early theory: the embryological model of evolution, the idea that the purpose of generation was progressive development, and the assumption of common descent. Even after formulating the law of natural selection, Darwin continued to pivot his theory of evolution around the principle of recapitulation.Less
This chapter focuses on the gradual, uniform development of Charles Darwin's embryological ideas and their role in his species theory. The principle of embryological and recapitulation model allowed Darwin to resolve the problem of accounting for the unity of type, the Cuvierian embranchments of design, that almost every leading naturalist of the time recognized in the animal kingdom. This problem hovered over Darwin's early efforts at constructing his theory of evolution, and his deferred resolution at the end of Origin of Species demonstrates its critical role in the formation of the theory. The principle of recapitualtion served as the aortic connection for three components of his early theory: the embryological model of evolution, the idea that the purpose of generation was progressive development, and the assumption of common descent. Even after formulating the law of natural selection, Darwin continued to pivot his theory of evolution around the principle of recapitulation.
Herman Philipse
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199697533
- eISBN:
- 9780191738470
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199697533.003.0013
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Metaphysics/Epistemology
According to Swinburne’s Bayesian argument from temporal order, the fact that our universe is ordered by relatively simple laws of nature is more probable if God exists than if he does not. If God ...
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According to Swinburne’s Bayesian argument from temporal order, the fact that our universe is ordered by relatively simple laws of nature is more probable if God exists than if he does not. If God does not exist, a completely chaotic universe allegedly is a priori more probable than a universe ordered by simple laws. However, this design argument from temporal order cannot be considered in isolation from the cosmological argument. With regard to each of three possible cosmological scenarios it can be shown that the argument from temporal order is unconvincing. Concerning design arguments from spatial order, Swinburne acknowledges that arguments on the basis of the functionality of organisms should be abandoned. Instead, he focuses on fine-tuning arguments. But neither the fine-tuning argument from logically possible universes nor the fine-tuning argument from complexity are convincing C-inductive arguments, which avoid the risk of God-of-the-gaps, even if they are supported by the argument from beauty.Less
According to Swinburne’s Bayesian argument from temporal order, the fact that our universe is ordered by relatively simple laws of nature is more probable if God exists than if he does not. If God does not exist, a completely chaotic universe allegedly is a priori more probable than a universe ordered by simple laws. However, this design argument from temporal order cannot be considered in isolation from the cosmological argument. With regard to each of three possible cosmological scenarios it can be shown that the argument from temporal order is unconvincing. Concerning design arguments from spatial order, Swinburne acknowledges that arguments on the basis of the functionality of organisms should be abandoned. Instead, he focuses on fine-tuning arguments. But neither the fine-tuning argument from logically possible universes nor the fine-tuning argument from complexity are convincing C-inductive arguments, which avoid the risk of God-of-the-gaps, even if they are supported by the argument from beauty.
George Levine
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199608430
- eISBN:
- 9780191731709
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199608430.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
The Origin of Species can be taken as a work of literature, like the great poetry and fiction of the Victorian era. The way it is written significantly affects its meaning and ...
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The Origin of Species can be taken as a work of literature, like the great poetry and fiction of the Victorian era. The way it is written significantly affects its meaning and significantly contributed to its success; it is expressive as well as descriptively precise; it is highly metaphorical, and personally felt. While the theory of evolution by natural selection implies a severe world always in struggle, Darwin presents that world, as do the writers of the great Victorian realist novels, implying the enormous significance of the most minor phenomenon. Darwin's key rhetorical strategy is to encounter a phenomenon that is apparently inexplicable, express awe that implies it is mysterious and wonderful, and then successfully explain it, leaving it however still wonderful.Less
The Origin of Species can be taken as a work of literature, like the great poetry and fiction of the Victorian era. The way it is written significantly affects its meaning and significantly contributed to its success; it is expressive as well as descriptively precise; it is highly metaphorical, and personally felt. While the theory of evolution by natural selection implies a severe world always in struggle, Darwin presents that world, as do the writers of the great Victorian realist novels, implying the enormous significance of the most minor phenomenon. Darwin's key rhetorical strategy is to encounter a phenomenon that is apparently inexplicable, express awe that implies it is mysterious and wonderful, and then successfully explain it, leaving it however still wonderful.
J. David Pleins
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199733637
- eISBN:
- 9780199852505
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199733637.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Even if they believe in the Darwin's theories of evolution, people who assert the truth of the bible are stubborn as they would assume the stories in a historical context instead of adopting how ...
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Even if they believe in the Darwin's theories of evolution, people who assert the truth of the bible are stubborn as they would assume the stories in a historical context instead of adopting how other religions would emphasize the symbolisms that underlie such narratives. Although these people really believe in their faiths, the question arises on whether these believers have to search continuously for scientific evidences that could possibly support their claims. This chapter attempts to come up with general conclusions and views about the nature of such religious beliefs, science, and how these two very different elements when joined, produce a whole new perspective through exploring the validity of the Bible as a collection of historical facts and the potential significance of archaeology in analyzing such stories.Less
Even if they believe in the Darwin's theories of evolution, people who assert the truth of the bible are stubborn as they would assume the stories in a historical context instead of adopting how other religions would emphasize the symbolisms that underlie such narratives. Although these people really believe in their faiths, the question arises on whether these believers have to search continuously for scientific evidences that could possibly support their claims. This chapter attempts to come up with general conclusions and views about the nature of such religious beliefs, science, and how these two very different elements when joined, produce a whole new perspective through exploring the validity of the Bible as a collection of historical facts and the potential significance of archaeology in analyzing such stories.
SCOTT ATRAN
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195178036
- eISBN:
- 9780199850112
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195178036.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
The chapter discusses the theory of evolution in the context of its implications for religion. When forming an evolutionary standpoint, the reasons religion shouldn't exist are patent: religion is ...
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The chapter discusses the theory of evolution in the context of its implications for religion. When forming an evolutionary standpoint, the reasons religion shouldn't exist are patent: religion is materially expensive and unrelentingly counterfactual and even counterintuitive. Religious practice is costly in terms of material sacrifice, emotional expenditure, and cognitive effort. Religious beliefs are counterfactual insofar as they are anomalous. Philosopher Thomas Hobbes argued that in all religions there are bodiless but sentient souls and spirits that act intentionally, though not in ways that can be verified empirically or understood logically. Ever since recorded history began, there have been numerous different attempts to explain why religion exists in terms of what function it serves. Explaining religion is a serious problem for any evolutionary account of human thought and society. All known human societies, past and present, bear the very substantial costs of religion's material, emotional, and cognitive commitments to factually impossible worlds.Less
The chapter discusses the theory of evolution in the context of its implications for religion. When forming an evolutionary standpoint, the reasons religion shouldn't exist are patent: religion is materially expensive and unrelentingly counterfactual and even counterintuitive. Religious practice is costly in terms of material sacrifice, emotional expenditure, and cognitive effort. Religious beliefs are counterfactual insofar as they are anomalous. Philosopher Thomas Hobbes argued that in all religions there are bodiless but sentient souls and spirits that act intentionally, though not in ways that can be verified empirically or understood logically. Ever since recorded history began, there have been numerous different attempts to explain why religion exists in terms of what function it serves. Explaining religion is a serious problem for any evolutionary account of human thought and society. All known human societies, past and present, bear the very substantial costs of religion's material, emotional, and cognitive commitments to factually impossible worlds.
Steven Pinker
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198523901
- eISBN:
- 9780191689048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198523901.003.0017
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter contends that an important source of evidence that has been neglected in the study of language evolution is the language itself. Thus, in this chapter, some basic facts about the ...
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This chapter contends that an important source of evidence that has been neglected in the study of language evolution is the language itself. Thus, in this chapter, some basic facts about the structure, psychology, neurology, and genetics of the human language faculty significant to its evolution are assessed. Based on the reviewed evidence, the chapter asserts that language is part of human biology, not human culture, and should be best thought of as a neural system, a computational module, and a mental organ. Also, language is complex computationally, neurologically, and genetically. Though the facts that are presented do not support anything like a full theory of language evolution, much less a phylogenetic sequence, the chapter asserts that they are adequate to refute popular assumptions, have strong implications about the relevant evolutionary forces, and offer suggestions about where to look further.Less
This chapter contends that an important source of evidence that has been neglected in the study of language evolution is the language itself. Thus, in this chapter, some basic facts about the structure, psychology, neurology, and genetics of the human language faculty significant to its evolution are assessed. Based on the reviewed evidence, the chapter asserts that language is part of human biology, not human culture, and should be best thought of as a neural system, a computational module, and a mental organ. Also, language is complex computationally, neurologically, and genetically. Though the facts that are presented do not support anything like a full theory of language evolution, much less a phylogenetic sequence, the chapter asserts that they are adequate to refute popular assumptions, have strong implications about the relevant evolutionary forces, and offer suggestions about where to look further.
Nicholas Griffin
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198244530
- eISBN:
- 9780191680786
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198244530.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter discusses the first years of Russell's life, from the death of both of his parents to the first few attempts at writing about philosophy. It is stated in the discussions that the ...
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This chapter discusses the first years of Russell's life, from the death of both of his parents to the first few attempts at writing about philosophy. It is stated in the discussions that the intellectual background for most, if not all, of Russell's thoughts consist largely of the theory of evolution.Less
This chapter discusses the first years of Russell's life, from the death of both of his parents to the first few attempts at writing about philosophy. It is stated in the discussions that the intellectual background for most, if not all, of Russell's thoughts consist largely of the theory of evolution.
David Huron
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198525202
- eISBN:
- 9780191689314
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198525202.003.0005
- Subject:
- Psychology, Music Psychology
This chapter reviews the basic arguments related to evolutionary claims for music. In particular, it describes the theory of evolution by natural selection. Before entertaining some possible ...
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This chapter reviews the basic arguments related to evolutionary claims for music. In particular, it describes the theory of evolution by natural selection. Before entertaining some possible evolutionary views of music's origins, first it considers two pertinent complicating points of views. One view is that music is a form of nonadaptive pleasure seeking (NAPS). A second view is that music is an evolutionary vestige. It then measures the adaptive value of music. Of the various proposals concerning a possible evolutionary origin for music, eight broad theories can be identified: mate selection, social cohesion, group effort, perceptual development, motor skill development, conflict reduction, safe time passing and transgenerational communication. There are four types of evidence considered in presenting a case for the evolutionary origins of music. Next, it reports some of the archaeological, anthropological, and ethological facts. Moreover, it explores some of the evolutionary arguments that have been advanced to account for the origins of language. The evidence on music and social bonding is shown. Furthermore, a discussion on music and social function, social bonding and hormones, oxytocin and the biology of social bonding, and mood regulation is provided.Less
This chapter reviews the basic arguments related to evolutionary claims for music. In particular, it describes the theory of evolution by natural selection. Before entertaining some possible evolutionary views of music's origins, first it considers two pertinent complicating points of views. One view is that music is a form of nonadaptive pleasure seeking (NAPS). A second view is that music is an evolutionary vestige. It then measures the adaptive value of music. Of the various proposals concerning a possible evolutionary origin for music, eight broad theories can be identified: mate selection, social cohesion, group effort, perceptual development, motor skill development, conflict reduction, safe time passing and transgenerational communication. There are four types of evidence considered in presenting a case for the evolutionary origins of music. Next, it reports some of the archaeological, anthropological, and ethological facts. Moreover, it explores some of the evolutionary arguments that have been advanced to account for the origins of language. The evidence on music and social bonding is shown. Furthermore, a discussion on music and social function, social bonding and hormones, oxytocin and the biology of social bonding, and mood regulation is provided.
Euan M. Macphail
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198503248
- eISBN:
- 9780191686481
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198503248.003.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
The mind-body problem has traditionally been the province of philosophers who relied on logic and arguments rather than on observation and facts. Psychology began as an experimental discipline some ...
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The mind-body problem has traditionally been the province of philosophers who relied on logic and arguments rather than on observation and facts. Psychology began as an experimental discipline some hundred years ago, and the specific aim of the first experimental psychologists was the scientific study of consciousness. Those early psychologists studied human consciousness, but before the end of the century exploration of the animal mind had begun. A key motive for the original interest in animal psychology was the general acceptance of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.Less
The mind-body problem has traditionally been the province of philosophers who relied on logic and arguments rather than on observation and facts. Psychology began as an experimental discipline some hundred years ago, and the specific aim of the first experimental psychologists was the scientific study of consciousness. Those early psychologists studied human consciousness, but before the end of the century exploration of the animal mind had begun. A key motive for the original interest in animal psychology was the general acceptance of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.
Robert Hagstrom
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231160100
- eISBN:
- 9780231531016
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231160100.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
This updated second edition explores basic and fundamental investing concepts in a range of fields outside of economics, including physics, biology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and literature. ...
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This updated second edition explores basic and fundamental investing concepts in a range of fields outside of economics, including physics, biology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and literature. It discusses how the theory of evolution disrupts the notion of the efficient market and how reading strategies for literature can be gainfully applied to investing research. Building on Charlie Munger's famous “latticework of mental models” concept, the book argues that it is impossible to make good investment decisions based solely on a strong knowledge of finance theory alone. The concepts are reinforced with additional data and a new chapter on mathematics, and updated text throughout to reflect the developments of the past decade, particularly the seismic economic upheaval of 2008. Additionally, a hundred new titles have been added to the book's reading list.Less
This updated second edition explores basic and fundamental investing concepts in a range of fields outside of economics, including physics, biology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and literature. It discusses how the theory of evolution disrupts the notion of the efficient market and how reading strategies for literature can be gainfully applied to investing research. Building on Charlie Munger's famous “latticework of mental models” concept, the book argues that it is impossible to make good investment decisions based solely on a strong knowledge of finance theory alone. The concepts are reinforced with additional data and a new chapter on mathematics, and updated text throughout to reflect the developments of the past decade, particularly the seismic economic upheaval of 2008. Additionally, a hundred new titles have been added to the book's reading list.
Emanuele Serrelli and Ilya Tëmkin
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780226426051
- eISBN:
- 9780226426198
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226426198.003.0015
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Since the 1970s, frequent attempts were made to bridge the gap between ecology and evolution. Ecology was divided into community ecology, that studies the composition and assembly of populations, ...
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Since the 1970s, frequent attempts were made to bridge the gap between ecology and evolution. Ecology was divided into community ecology, that studies the composition and assembly of populations, communities, and metacommunities, and ecosystem science, that studies organisms and their environment as parts of interactive systems characterized by various “functions” (e.g., productivity, decomposition) and efficiency measures (e.g., food chain efficiency). Following the Modern Synthesis, evolutionary biology, on the other hand, was focused on genealogical processes (natural selection, drift, speciation) and came to consider ecological assemblies as aggregations characterized by secondary, derived patterns, or even to imagine them as a rather uninteractive 'stage' for the evolutionary play. Paleobiological macroevolutionary studies, models of niche construction and evolutionary ecology are attempts towards greater integration between ecological and genealogical patterns. The hierarchy theory of evolution is suggested to provide the most appropriate theoretical framework for the multiscale integration between the two disciplines.Less
Since the 1970s, frequent attempts were made to bridge the gap between ecology and evolution. Ecology was divided into community ecology, that studies the composition and assembly of populations, communities, and metacommunities, and ecosystem science, that studies organisms and their environment as parts of interactive systems characterized by various “functions” (e.g., productivity, decomposition) and efficiency measures (e.g., food chain efficiency). Following the Modern Synthesis, evolutionary biology, on the other hand, was focused on genealogical processes (natural selection, drift, speciation) and came to consider ecological assemblies as aggregations characterized by secondary, derived patterns, or even to imagine them as a rather uninteractive 'stage' for the evolutionary play. Paleobiological macroevolutionary studies, models of niche construction and evolutionary ecology are attempts towards greater integration between ecological and genealogical patterns. The hierarchy theory of evolution is suggested to provide the most appropriate theoretical framework for the multiscale integration between the two disciplines.
Robert N. Brandon
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262017404
- eISBN:
- 9780262301770
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262017404.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This chapter begins with a definition of adaptation, which is a core tenet of evolutionary biology. Adaptation is always adaptation to an environment since it does not make sense as an abstract term. ...
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This chapter begins with a definition of adaptation, which is a core tenet of evolutionary biology. Adaptation is always adaptation to an environment since it does not make sense as an abstract term. It is defined as the process in which an organism fits into its environment; it is a process that explains evolution. Organisms better fitted to their environment reproduce at higher rates than those less fit, leading to an increase in number for the fitter organisms in subsequent generations. The goal of this chapter is to clearly explain a concept of environment that fits the explanatory needs of the theory of evolution by natural selection. The isomorphism between the biological problem of finding an explanatory concept of environment within the context of the theory of natural selection and the much more general problem within probability theory—the reference class problem—is clarified here.Less
This chapter begins with a definition of adaptation, which is a core tenet of evolutionary biology. Adaptation is always adaptation to an environment since it does not make sense as an abstract term. It is defined as the process in which an organism fits into its environment; it is a process that explains evolution. Organisms better fitted to their environment reproduce at higher rates than those less fit, leading to an increase in number for the fitter organisms in subsequent generations. The goal of this chapter is to clearly explain a concept of environment that fits the explanatory needs of the theory of evolution by natural selection. The isomorphism between the biological problem of finding an explanatory concept of environment within the context of the theory of natural selection and the much more general problem within probability theory—the reference class problem—is clarified here.
