[ExI] Evo-psych/was Re: The Extro List- Past/Future

[Keith Henson]

On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 1:40 PM, Dan <dan_ust at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> --- On Tue, 4/14/09, Keith Henson <hkeithhenson at gmail.com> wrote:

snip

>> But these topics don't generate discussion here.
>
> Let's try!  What's wrong with evolutionary psychology?  To me, some of it seems like a rehash of earlier attempts to physicalize consciousness.
>
> Comments?

This kind of shallow response is what has me about to sign off this mailing list

To have responded at all you had an email program up, Yahoo to be
specific.  Could you open one more tab and find out something about
the topic?  In Yahoo, the third tab leads you here:

http://www.psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/primer.html

The short form is that behavioral traits have been subjected to
natural selection just as physical ones have been.  In some cases the
selection in the past has been so intense that certain behaviors (such
as capture-bonding) are as universal as sight, walking.and talking.

Of course, to apply this principle to social behavior you need
understand what the modern gene centered formulation of evolution is
and for that you must have read and understood _The Selfish Gene_, or
equal works and understand inclusive fitness (William Hamilton's
work).

Then you can apply EP in an attempt to understand human social
behavior raging from war to BDSM.

Keith