Feminism and the Evolutionary Sciences: a Reexamination of Human Nature
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Mate Guarding and the Evolution of Patriarchy
It’s a Man’s World: Mate Guarding and the Evolution of Patriarchy During human evolution the prevention of cuckoldry has been an adaptive problem for the human male, solved in many other species by intensely guarding females during fertile periods. Signs of estrus in human females are much subtler than in many other species meaning that there is less certainty of the exact timing of the fertile period. This necessitates extended mate guarding which potentially reduces male fitness due to the loss of extra-pair fertilization opportunities and other fitness-compromising costs, such as reduction in the time spent acquiring status and resources. Patriarchy is a system of implicit and explicit rules of conduct, of power structures, and of belief systems that support male control over women’s reproduction and has existed for thousands of years. We examine the manifestations of patriarchy as a unique form of mate guarding which is able to function even in the absence of males. We explore historical and contemporary patriarchal practices such as rape, foot-binding, honor-killing and female genital mutilation and argue that males use patriarchy to increase the costs associated with female extra-pair copulation to increase their certainty of paternity. At the same time patriarchy functions to enforce in-pair childbearing by discouraging contraception and abortion. We propose that this form of control of females evolved to avoid an evolutionary trade-off between the benefits of monogamy and those of promiscuity for human males and that there has been selection on females for those compliant with patriarchy, who tended to have more surviving offspring. -
Sociobiology in Turmoil Again
GENERAL ARTICLES Sociobiology in turmoil again Raghavendra Gadagkar Altruism is defined as any behaviour that lowers the Darwinian fitness of the actor while increasing that of the recipient. Such altruism (especially in the form of lifetime sterility exhibited by sterile workers in eusocial insects such as ants, bees, wasps and termites) has long been considered a major difficulty for the theory of natural selection. In the 1960s W. D. Hamilton potentially solved this problem by defining a new measure of fitness that he called inclusive fitness, which also included the effect of an individual’s action on the fitness of genetic relatives. This has come to be known as inclusive fitness theory, Hamilton’s rule or kin selection. E. O. Wilson almost single-handedly popularized this new approach in the 1970s and thus helped create a large body of new empirical research and a large community of behavioural ecologists and kin selectionists. Adding thrill and drama to our otherwise sombre lives, Wilson is now leading a frontal attack on Hamilton’s approach, claiming that the inclusive fitness theory is not as mathematically general as the standard natural selection theory, has led to no additional biological insights and should therefore be aban- doned. The world cannot but sit up and take notice. Keywords: Altruism, eusociality, Hamilton’s rule, inclusive fitness theory, kin selection, sociobiology. THE science of sociobiology is in turmoil again and this Altruism and eusociality time on theoretical grounds. And yes, E. O. Wilson (of Harvard University) is at the epicentre of it; but, believe Among the various kinds of social interactions seen it or not, this time around he is leading the attack and his commonly in group-living species, the most paradoxical followers (erstwhile?) are at the receiving end. -
En Quête D'indices Dans Les Eaux Du Lagon : La Récolte D'organismes
10 HINA, les femmes et la pêche - Bulletin de la CPS n°20 - Juin 2010 En quête d’indices dans les eaux du lagon : La récolte d’organismes marins serait-il le miroir de notre évolution passée ? Thomas Malm1 Introduction qu’il s’agisse de navigation en pirogues, de pêche ou de plongée. En général, jusqu’à la fin du XXe siècle, peu « Je n’avais jamais vu auparavant des enfants grandir d’auteurs mentionnaient le fait que les femmes partici- libres de toute contrainte imposée par la civilisation et j’ai paient aussi sensiblement à l’exploitation des ressources pleinement profité de cette occasion qui m’était donnée, » marines (voir par exemple Malm 1999 ; Matthews 1995). écrivit James Norman Hall au sujet de son voyage dans l’une des îles de l’archipel des Tuamotu il y a 90 ans. De nos jours, de nombreux chercheurs et la plupart des services des pêches d’Océanie sont bien au fait L’après-midi, nous allions nous baigner dans de l’importance des activités féminines de ramassage les eaux du lagon. C’est là qu’ils m’ont semblé d’organismes marins dans les communautés locales au meilleur d’eux-mêmes et le plus heureux, et de l’intérêt qu’il y a à étudier les savoirs spécialisés dans un élément qui leur était aussi nécessaire que ces activités exigent. Dans ce type d’études, tout et familier qu’il l’était pour leurs parents. C’est comme dans les miennes (Malm 1999, 2007a-b, 2009), toujours un plaisir d’observer des enfants le but déclaré est souvent de remettre en question jouer dans l’eau, mais ces jeunes enfants des l’idée préconçue que la récolte de coquillages ne revêt Tuamotu, par la grâce naturelle de leurs mou- aucun intérêt ni importance culturelle. -
But Should They Be? and What Is a Dominance Hierarchy Anyways?
Myrmecological News 24 71-81 Online Earlier, for print 2017 Dominance hierarchies are a dominant paradigm in ant ecology (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), but should they be? And what is a dominance hierarchy anyways? Katharine L. STUBLE, Ivan JURIĆ, Xim CERDÁ & Nathan J. SANDERS Abstract There is a long tradition of community ecologists using interspecific dominance hierarchies as a way to explain species coexistence and community structure. However, there is considerable variation in the methods used to construct these hierarchies, how they are quantified, and how they are interpreted. In the study of ant communities, hierarchies are typ- ically based on the outcome of aggressive encounters between species or on bait monopolization. These parameters are converted to rankings using a variety of methods ranging from calculating the proportion of fights won or baits monopolized to minimizing hierarchical reversals. However, we rarely stop to explore how dominance hierarchies relate to the spatial and temporal structure of ant communities, nor do we ask how different ranking methods quantitatively relate to one another. Here, through a review of the literature and new analyses of both published and unpublished data, we highlight some limitations of the use of dominance hierarchies, both in how they are constructed and how they are interpreted. We show that the most commonly used ranking methods can generate variation among hierarchies given the same data and that the results depend on sample size. Moreover, these ranks are not related to resource acquisition, suggest- ing limited ecological implications for dominance hierarchies. These limitations in the construction, analysis, and interpre- tation of dominance hierarchies lead us to suggest it may be time for ant ecologists to move on from dominance hierarchies. -
Evolution, Politics and Law
Valparaiso University Law Review Volume 38 Number 4 Summer 2004 pp.1129-1248 Summer 2004 Evolution, Politics and Law Bailey Kuklin Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/vulr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Bailey Kuklin, Evolution, Politics and Law, 38 Val. U. L. Rev. 1129 (2004). Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/vulr/vol38/iss4/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Valparaiso University Law School at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Valparaiso University Law Review by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at [email protected]. Kuklin: Evolution, Politics and Law VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW VOLUME 38 SUMMER 2004 NUMBER 4 Article EVOLUTION, POLITICS AND LAW Bailey Kuklin* I. Introduction ............................................... 1129 II. Evolutionary Theory ................................. 1134 III. The Normative Implications of Biological Dispositions ......................... 1140 A . Fact and Value .................................... 1141 B. Biological Determinism ..................... 1163 C. Future Fitness ..................................... 1183 D. Cultural N orm s .................................. 1188 IV. The Politics of Sociobiology ..................... 1196 A. Political Orientations ......................... 1205 B. Political Tactics ................................... 1232 V . C onclusion ................................................. 1248 I. INTRODUCTION -
Dominance and Prestige: Dual Strategies for Navigating Social Hierarchies
CHAPTER THREE Dominance and Prestige: Dual Strategies for Navigating Social Hierarchies J.K. Maner*,1, C.R. Case*,† *Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States †Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States 1Corresponding author: e-mail address: [email protected] Contents 1. Dominance and Prestige as Evolved Strategies for Navigating Social Hierarchies 132 1.1 Social Hierarchies in Evolutionary Perspective 132 1.2 The Motivational Psychology of Social Rank 133 1.3 Dominance 134 1.4 Prestige 137 1.5 Summary 139 2. When Leaders Selfishly Sacrifice Group Goals 141 2.1 Primary Hypotheses 143 2.2 Tactics Dominant Leaders Use to Protect Their Social Rank 145 2.3 From Me vs You to Us vs Them 161 2.4 Summary 162 3. Dual-Strategies Theory: Future Directions and Implications for the Social Psychology of Hierarchy 164 3.1 Identifying Additional Facets of Dominance and Prestige 164 3.2 Additional Moderating Variables 165 3.3 The Pitfalls of Prestige 167 3.4 Rising Through the Ranks 169 3.5 The Psychology of Followership 170 3.6 Sex Differences 172 3.7 Intersections Between Dominance and Prestige and the Broader Social Psychological Literature on Hierarchy 173 4. Conclusion 174 References 175 Abstract The presence of hierarchy is a ubiquitous feature of human social groups. An evolution- ary perspective provides novel insight into the nature of hierarchy, including its causes and consequences. When integrated with theory and data from social psychology, an evolutionary approach provides a conceptual framework for understanding the # Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 54 2016 Elsevier Inc. -
Social Dominance in Childhood and Its Evolutionary Underpinnings: Why It Matters and What We Can Do
SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE Social Dominance in Childhood and Its Evolutionary Underpinnings: Why It Matters and What We Can Do AUTHOR: Patricia H. Hawley, PhD Bullying is a common and familiar manifestation of power differentials Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas and social hierarchy. Much has been written lately about bullying in KEY WORDS schools, in the workplace, and even in the National Football League. Such aggression, bullying, evolution, social dominance hierarchies are pervasive in nature. They can be subtly, almost imper- Dr Hawley conceptualized and designed the article, drafted and ceptibly, managed (by glances, gestures, or implicit cultural expectations), revised the manuscript, and approved the manuscript as brutally enforced (authoritarian rule, vicious attacks, or explicit edicts), or submitted. anything in between. These power differentials affect our daily behaviorand www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2014-3549D thought processes, are a large source of our psychosocial stress, and doi:10.1542/peds.2014-3549D influence our health and well-being. Accepted for publication Dec 19, 2014 As an evolutionary developmental psychologist focusing on aggression and Address correspondence to Patricia H. Hawley, PhD, 3008 18th St, Box 41071, Lubbock, TX 79409-41071. E-mail: patricia.hawley@ttu. peer relationships in childhood, I present for this article an evolutionary view edu to children’s social functioning as it relates to power differentials. First, 3 PEDIATRICS (ISSN Numbers: Print, 0031-4005; Online, 1098-4275). common errors in thinking about dominance are dispelled. The discussion Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics next focuses on social dominance in childhood, including how humans FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The author has indicated she has no appear to be prepared to think about and navigate these relationships, how financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose. -
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INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissenation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and contim1jng from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back ofthe book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge, Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. MI48106-1346 USA 313!761-47oo 800:521-0600 ELISION AND SPECIFICITY WRITTEN AS THE BODY: SEX, GENDER, RACE, ETHNICITY IN FEMINIST THEORY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN POLITICAL SCIENCE DECEMBER 1995 By Carolyn DiPalma Dissertation Committee: Kathy Ferguson, Chairperson Michael Shapiro Phyllis Turnbull Deane Neubauer Ruth Dawson UMI Number: 9615516 UMI Microform 9615516 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. -
Mirrorshade Women: Feminism and Cyberpunk
Mirrorshade Women: Feminism and Cyberpunk at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century Carlen Lavigne McGill University, Montréal Department of Art History and Communication Studies February 2008 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Communication Studies © Carlen Lavigne 2008 2 Abstract This study analyzes works of cyberpunk literature written between 1981 and 2005, and positions women’s cyberpunk as part of a larger cultural discussion of feminist issues. It traces the origins of the genre, reviews critical reactions, and subsequently outlines the ways in which women’s cyberpunk altered genre conventions in order to advance specifically feminist points of view. Novels are examined within their historical contexts; their content is compared to broader trends and controversies within contemporary feminism, and their themes are revealed to be visible reflections of feminist discourse at the end of the twentieth century. The study will ultimately make a case for the treatment of feminist cyberpunk as a unique vehicle for the examination of contemporary women’s issues, and for the analysis of feminist science fiction as a complex source of political ideas. Cette étude fait l’analyse d’ouvrages de littérature cyberpunk écrits entre 1981 et 2005, et situe la littérature féminine cyberpunk dans le contexte d’une discussion culturelle plus vaste des questions féministes. Elle établit les origines du genre, analyse les réactions culturelles et, par la suite, donne un aperçu des différentes manières dont la littérature féminine cyberpunk a transformé les usages du genre afin de promouvoir en particulier le point de vue féministe. -
Social Dominance and Reproductive Differentiation Mediated By
© 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd | The Journal of Experimental Biology (2015) 218, 1091-1098 doi:10.1242/jeb.118414 RESEARCH ARTICLE Social dominance and reproductive differentiation mediated by dopaminergic signaling in a queenless ant Yasukazu Okada1,2,*, Ken Sasaki3, Satoshi Miyazaki2,4, Hiroyuki Shimoji2, Kazuki Tsuji5 and Toru Miura2 ABSTRACT (i.e. the unequal sharing of reproductive opportunity) is widespread In social Hymenoptera with no morphological caste, a dominant female in various animal taxa (Sherman et al., 1995; birds, Emlen and becomes an egg layer, whereas subordinates become sterile helpers. Wrege, 1992; mammals, Jarvis, 1981; Keane et al., 1994; Nievergelt The physiological mechanism that links dominance rank and fecundity et al., 2000). In extreme cases, it can result in the reproductive is an essential part of the emergence of sterile females, which reflects division of labor, such as in social insects and naked mole rats the primitive phase of eusociality. Recent studies suggest that (Wilson, 1971; Sherman et al., 1995; Reeve and Keller, 2001). brain biogenic amines are correlated with the ranks in dominance In highly eusocial insects (honeybees, most ants and termites), hierarchy. However, the actual causality between aminergic systems developmental differentiation of morphological caste is the basis of and phenotype (i.e. fecundity and aggressiveness) is largely unknown social organization (Wilson, 1971). By contrast, there are due to the pleiotropic functions of amines (e.g. age-dependent morphologically casteless social insects (some wasps, bumblebees polyethism) and the scarcity of manipulation experiments. To clarify and queenless ants) in which the dominance hierarchy plays a central the causality among dominance ranks, amine levels and phenotypes, role in division of labor. -
Comparative Studies of Human Cognitive Evolution: the Future of Anthropology? Pp
Using comparative studies of primate and canid social cognition to model our Miocene minds A thesis presented by Brian Alexander Hare to The Department of Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of Anthropology Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts January 2004 1 © 2004 – Brian Alexander Hare 2 Table of contents Abstract pp. iv Acknowledgements pp. v Introduction Part I: Comparative studies of human cognitive evolution: The future of anthropology? pp. 1 Identifying derived features of hominin cognition Part II: Do chimpanzees know what conspecifics know? pp. 22 Part III: Chimpanzees deceive a human competitor by hiding pp. 54 Evidence for selection pressures on social cognition Part IV: Do capuchin monkeys know what conspecifics can and cannot see? pp. 89 Part V: Chimpanzees are more skillful in competitive than cooperative cognitive tasks pp. 99 Part VI: The domestication of social cognition in dogs pp. 132 The future of comparative studies on human cognitive evolution Part VII: Can competitive paradigms increase the validity of experiments on primate social cognition? pp. 140 Part VIII: Tempering Darwin’s greatest difficulty: How, when, and why did the human mind evolve? pp. 173 References pp. 208 3 4 Brian Alexander Hare Using comparative studies of primate and canid social cognition to model our Miocene minds Thesis Advisors: Professors Richard Wrangham, Marc Hauser, and Michael Tomasello Abstract The greatest challenge facing anthropology is in explaining the evolution of human cognition. The evolution of unique social problem solving skills likely explain much of what is unique about our phenotype including language and culture. -
Dialogue. the Response: Academic Vigilantism and the Political Significance of Sociobiology Author(S): Edward O
Dialogue. The Response: Academic Vigilantism and the Political Significance of Sociobiology Author(s): Edward O. Wilson Source: BioScience, Vol. 26, No. 3 (Mar., 1976), pp. 183+187-190 Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1297247 . Accessed: 04/04/2011 11:23 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at . http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucal. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. University of California Press and American Institute of Biological Sciences are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to BioScience.