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evolutionary theory
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Evolutionary psychology - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 9 facts
claimEvolutionary theory acts as a heuristic by generating hypotheses that might not be developed from other theoretical approaches.
perspectiveSome evolutionary psychologists argue that evolutionary theory can provide a foundational, metatheoretical framework that integrates the entire field of psychology, similar to the role evolutionary biology plays for biology.
perspectiveProponents of evolutionary psychology suggest that the field seeks to integrate psychology into the natural sciences by rooting it in evolutionary theory, thereby understanding psychology as a branch of biology.
referenceHenry O'Connell published 'Evolutionary theory in psychiatry and psychology' in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine in 2004, discussing the application of evolutionary theory to mental health fields.
referenceEdward O. Wilson combined evolutionary theory with studies of animal and social behavior in his 1975 book, Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, referencing the works of Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen.
claimSteven Pinker describes evolutionary psychology not as a single theory, but as a large set of hypotheses and a specific way of applying evolutionary theory to the mind, emphasizing adaptation, gene-level selection, and modularity.
referenceThe Society for Evolutionary Analysis in Law is a scholarly association dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary exploration of issues at the intersection of law, biology, and evolutionary theory.
claimThe Human Behavior and Evolution Society is an international organization dedicated to using evolutionary theory to study human nature.
quoteEdward O. Wilson defined sociobiology in 1978 as "the extension of population biology and evolutionary theory to social organization."
Evolutionary Psychology | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy iep.utm.edu 3 facts
referenceIrwin Silverman and Marion Eals published 'Sex Differences in Spatial Abilities: Evolutionary Theory and Data' in the 1992 book 'The Adapted Mind: Evolutionary Psychology and the Generation of Culture', edited by Jerome Barkow, Leda Cosmides, and John Tooby.
quoteLeda Cosmides and John Tooby stated in 1987: "In the rush to apply evolutionary insights to a science of human behavior, many researchers have made a conceptual ‘wrong turn,’ … [which] has consisted of attempting to apply evolutionary theory directly to the level of manifest behavior, rather than using it as a heuristic guide for the discovery of innate psychological mechanisms."
quoteTooby and Cosmides (1989) stated: "the missing link between evolutionary theory and manifest behavior."
Psychedelics, Sociality, and Human Evolution frontiersin.org 2 facts
perspectiveLaland et al. (2014) argue that evolutionary theory may need a rethink.
referenceOdling-Smee, Laland, and Feldman (2003) authored the book 'Niche Construction: The Neglected Process in Evolution', which argues for the importance of niche construction in evolutionary theory.
Complexity and the Evolution of Consciousness | Biological Theory link.springer.com Sep 14, 2022 2 facts
referenceGodfrey-Smith's (1996a) environmental complexity thesis attempted to reconcile earlier ideas from John Dewey and Herbert Spencer regarding the continuity between life and mind within the modern framework of evolutionary theory, positing the mind as a natural consequence of the evolution of biological complexity.
referenceOkasha (2018) examines the concepts of agents and goals within the context of evolutionary theory.
(PDF) On the function of consciousness - an adaptationist perspective academia.edu 1 fact
referenceS. Horst authored the paper 'Evolutionary Explanation and the Hard Problem of Consciousness', which discusses the intersection of evolutionary theory and the hard problem of consciousness.
5.9.1: Kingdom Plantae - Evolution and Phylogeny bio.libretexts.org Nov 24, 2025 1 fact
claimCurrent evolutionary theory holds that green algae and land-dwelling plants are monophyletic.
Naturalized epistemology and cognitive science | Intro to... - Fiveable fiveable.me 1 fact
claimEvolutionary epistemology applies evolutionary theory to the study of knowledge acquisition.
Resolving the evolutionary paradox of consciousness link.springer.com Apr 1, 2024 1 fact
perspectiveSome theorists, including Popper (1978) and Romanes (1895), have dismissed epiphenomenalism as inconsistent with evolutionary theory, arguing that a functionless feature like inert consciousness would not evolve or would disappear.