Arguments Against Evolutionary Psychology.
The claim of genetics and evolutionary psychology to explain and indeed legislate on the human condition have been loudly trumpeted in recent years in a host of popular books. Genes are called upon for almost every aspect of our lives. Evolution is supposed to explain alleged human universals, from male philandering and female coyness to children's dislike of spinach. There are even claimed to be genes which account for differences between people - from sexual orientation to drug addiction, aggression religiosity and job satisfaction, to say nothing of compulsive shopping. It appears that Darwin, at least in the hands of his popularisers, has replaced Marx and Freud as the great interpreter of human existence.
Biologists, social scientists and philosophers have begun to rebel against this roughshod ride over their different understandings of the world, demonstrating that that claims of evolutionary psychology rest on shaky empirical evidence, flawed premises and unexamined political presuppositions. In this provocative and groundbreaking book, Hilary Rose and Steven Rose have gathered together the leading and outspoken critics of this fashionable ideology, from Britain and the United States, in a shared and perhaps uniquely cross-disciplinary project. Contributors range from biologists, anthropologists and sociologists to philosophers and cultural critics.
The result of this joint work is a sharply engaged, accessible and highly entertaining critique of the most fashionable ideology of recent years. What emerges is a new perspective which challenges the reductionism of evolutionary psychology and offers a richer understanding of the biosocial nature of the human condition.
