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Ever Since Sociobiology: Evolutionary Psychology, Human Nature, Public Policy and Private Decisions

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Ever Since Sociobiology: Evolutionary Psychology, Human Nature, Public Policy and Private Decisions Ever Since Sociobiology: Evolutionary Psychology, Human Nature, Public Policy and Private Decisions —Charles Crawford From September of 2000 through Psychopathy April of 2001, the public lecture a Pathology or a series “Ever Since Sociobiology: Life History Strategy? Darwinism, Human Nature, and Implications for Social Public Policy and Private Decisions” Policy. The topics were varied, drew audiences of up to 220 people but all could trace their roots back to Harbour Centre. This lecture to the philosophy behind the lecture series was sponsored by the Institute series itself. How can a society be for the Humanities as well as SSHRC founded on moral principles, yet be and other organisations within pliable and comfortable enough for Simon Fraser University. The series people to live in so that it can persist? was organised by me and Catherine This question has perplexed thinkers Salmon, a SSHRC post-doctoral since Plato wrote The Republic. fellow in the same department. It Those who attempt to use Legalistic (Hammurabi, Napoleon, brought the following speakers and evolutionary theory to help John Rawls), religious (Moses, their topics to downtown Vancouver: contribute to solutions to social ills Mohammed, Saint Augustine), Charles Crawford, Professor of are often accused of making the economic (Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Psychology, Simon Fraser University, naturalistic fallacy: the fallacy of on Incest Avoidance and Prevention: assuming that what is, is what ought Legal and Evolutionary Perspectives; “Those who attempt to use evolution- to be (Flew, 1978). Consider two Dennis Krebs, Professor of ary theory to help contribute to solu- examples: Women, more than men, Psychology, Simon Fraser evolved as the primary caretakers of tions to social ills are often accused University, on Moral Reasoning children; therefore, they have traits and Moral Behaviour: Insights from of making the naturalistic fallacy: the that make them superior caregivers, Evolutionary Psychology; Margo fallacy of assuming that what is, is what and ought to be favoured as teachers Wilson and Martin Daly, Professors ought to be.” and nurses and “since the demands of Psychology, McMaster University, of hunting, warfare, and male- on Family Conflict and Violence: A male competition caused men to Look at the Marital Relationship; Milton Friedman), and philosophic evolve larger size, greater strength, Kingsley Browne, Professor of Law, (Karl Popper) approaches have all been and greater aggressiveness than Wayne State University, on Women considered at one time or another. women, men ought to be preferred in the Workplace: Evolutionary Darwin’s closing paragraph from The as policemen and infantrymen.” Perspectives and Public Policy; Descent of Man suggests a role for the Clearly, these statements are David Buss, Department of theory of evolution by natural selection fallacious. One cannot reason Psychology, University of Texas, in the search for an answer. from what is to what ought to be. on Dangerous Passions: Infidelity, Although on average men are larger, Sex and Why We Hurt the Ones We “Man with all his noble qualities, more aggressive and competitive Love; Catherine Salmon, SSHRC with sympathy that feels for the most than women in all known cultures, post-doctoral fellow, Department of debased, with benevolence which we cannot conclude from this fact Psychology, Simon Fraser University, extends not only to other men but that men ought to exceed women in on What Sex Differences in Erotica to the humblest of living creatures, these attributes. can Tell Us About Human Sexuality; with his god-like intellect which has Randy Thornhill, Professor of penetrated into the movements and However, the identification of a Biology, University of New Mexico, constitution of the solar system—with naturalistic fallacy can lead us on A Natural History of Rape: all these exalted powers — still bears in astray if we then conclude that the Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion; his bodily frame the indelible stamp of empirical observations leading to it Martin Lalumiere, Clark Institute his lowly origin” (Charles Darwin, The are invalid, that the state of nature and University of Toronto, on Is Descent of Man, 1871/1898, p. 634). suggesting it ought to be changed; 31 or that it can easily be changed. with this ought. Therefore, sexuality selection. Some of our concerns about Identifying the claims that men are cannot be the motivation for rape, the adequacy of communism as a taller than women, therefore, they and hence rape must be motivated social system were based on current ought to be taller as fallacious does by male aggression. Anyone putting thinking in evolutionary psychology not imply that men are not taller than forth arguments or data challenging that has mental mechanisms women, that they ought not to be moralistic fallacies can expect a producing nepotism, reciprocity, a taller than women, or that the world rough intellectual ride. Some of the sense of fairness, and cheating on would be a better place if men were greatest tragedies of history have social relationships as important not taller than women. Similarly, their origins in moralistic attempts culture producing mechanisms identifying fallacies concerned with to impose an ideology on a whole (Cosmides & Tooby, 1992). If such gender differences in behaviour do population. More than forty million evolved mental mechanisms do exist, not imply it is either advisable or easy people died because of Joseph Stalin’s they put constraints on the kind of to change the state of nature so that determination to impose communism social systems that we can expect gender differences no longer exist. It in Russia. The attempt to impose a to function well enough to persist is as fallacious to go from is to ought strict Muslim code on Afghanistan for some time. All of the talks in this not, as it is to go from is to ought. is the most recent example of the lecture series dealt with issues that costs of imposing an ideology on a have a great impact on the society in Although the naturalistic fallacy whole nation. The belief that “What which we live. A better understanding can be pernicious, another fallacy ought to be, can be” can have noxious of them can point the way toward can be equally noxious. It is the consequences when applied with making changes and in particular, Moralistic Fallacy, the fallacy of such zeal. Many Russian communists to areas where changes may be most assuming that what ought to be is or were good people who worked hard easily made and in what ways such what ought to be can be (Crawford, for what they believed. But, those changes may be, implemented. 1999). A prominent example is racial taking an evolutionary perspective on differences in intelligence ought human behaviour were not surprised not to exist; therefore, they do not when their system failed because we exist; hence, anyone finding such worried that communism was not differences must be using poor compatible with a human psychology research methods or be politically shaped in the crucible of natural motivated in their research. There are many other examples in contemporary thought. One that comes to mind is sex ought to be mutually enjoyable and personally enhancing. Aggressive sexuality is not compatible 32.
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