Sense and nonsense evolutionary perspectives on human behaviour

382 Pages·2010·1.533 MB·English

by  Laland, Kevin N.;Brown, Gillian R

Sense and Nonsense:
Evolutionary Perspectives
on Human Behaviour
Kevin N. Laland
Gillian R. Brown
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
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Sense and
Nonsense
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Sense and
Nonsense
Evolutionary
Perspectives on Human
Behaviour
Kevin N. Laland
Royal Society University Research Fellow
Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour
University of Cambridge
and
Gillian R. Brown
Research Scientist
Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour
University of Cambridge
1
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1
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Preface
Can evolutionary theory help us to understand human
behaviour and society? Many evolutionary biologists,
anthropologists, and psychologists are optimistic that evo-
lutionary principles can be applied to human behaviour,
and have offered evolutionary explanations for a wide range
of human characteristics, such as homicide, religion, and
sex differences in behaviour. Others are sceptical of these
interpretations, and stress the effects of learning and cul-
ture. They maintain that human beings are too special to
study as if they were just another animal—after all, we have
complex culture, language, and writing, and we build
houses and programme computers. Perhaps both of these
stances are right to a degree. Some aspects of our behaviour
may be more usefully investigated using the methods of
evolutionary biology than others. The challenge for sci-
entists will be to determine which facets of humanity are
open to this kind of analysis, and to devise definitive tests of
any hypotheses concerning our evolutionary legacy. For
those of us fascinated by this challenge, knowledge of
the diverse methods by which human behaviour is studied
from an evolutionary perspective would seem a pre-
requisite. In this book, we outline five evolutionary
approaches that have been used to investigate human
behaviour and characterize their methodologies and
assumptions. These approaches are sociobiology, human
behavioural ecology, evolutionary psychology, memetics,
and gene–culture coevolution. For each, we discuss their
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vi PREFACE
positive features and their limitations and in the final chap-
ter we compare their relative merits.
Innumerable popular books have already been published
that discuss human behaviour and evolution, e.g. The
Selfish Gene(Dawkins, 1976), The Rise and Fall of the Third
Chimpanzee (Diamond, 1991), Darwin’s Dangerous Idea
(Dennett, 1995), How the Mind Works (Pinker, 1997) and
The Meme Machine(Blackmore, 1999). Each gives a unique
and stimulating view of human nature. However, such
books usually take a single viewpoint on human evolution,
frequently identifying with a particular school, such as
evolutionary psychology or memetics. There have also been
academic books published from these different perspec-
tives, such as Culture and the Evolutionary Process (Boyd
and Richerson, 1985), The Adapted Mind (Barkow et al.,
1992), Adaptation and Human Behavior(Cronk et al., 2000)
and Darwinizing Culture: the Status of Memetics as a Science
(Aunger, 2000). In contrast to these, our book takes a plu-
ralistic approach, highlighting how different researchers
have divergent views on the best way to use evolutionary
theory to study humanity. Heated debates and personal
attacks have often ensued. Some of the approaches
described will be new to many readers, as the theories on
which they are based have generally not made it further
than the specialist scientific literature. In presenting these
fields we endeavour to translate these methodologies into
easily understandable examples, and thereby make accessi-
ble new perspectives on how human behaviour and culture
can be interpreted.
In writing this book, we pursue three goals. First, like Eric
Alden Smith and colleagues (Smith et al., 2001), we see a
need for ‘a guide for the perplexed’ for those of us who have
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PREFACE vii
struggled to understand the plethora of confusing terms
and apparent differences of opinion and approach in the
use of evolutionary theory to study human behaviour.
Secondly, in line with a long tradition of researchers based
at the Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour at the
University of Cambridge, where we work, we believe that
research in this domain is best served by a rigorous, self-
critical science, and that the study of behaviour requires a
broad perspective that incorporates questions such as how
behaviour develops over an individual’s lifetime as well as
questions about how behaviour evolves. Thirdly, we see
great value in pluralism in the use of methodology, and the
integration of approaches. We hope to have made a small
contribution in each of these regards.
This book does not provide an overview of the use of evo-
lutionary theory in areas such as economics, law, and litera-
ture. We acknowledge the important work in these areas, but
would rather maintain the length of the book as it is, and
remain within more familiar territory. To those whose
research is addressed, we hope that a fair synopsis is provided
and are very grateful to all of the experts who have taken the
time to discuss their work with us. We have personal views on
the relative merits of the five schools of thought described;
however, we have attempted to treat each approach evenly by
asking leading members in the fields to help us to present
their views accurately. Perhaps our profiles of the alternative
approaches will highlight to some researchers how the meth-
ods may be integrated in the future, as well as draw attention
to the conflicts that are yet to be resolved. Of those who cur-
rently deny the relevance of biology to the study of human
behaviour, we hope that we might perhaps make some con-
verts. More realistically, we hope that their scepticism will be
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viii PREFACE
tempered by the realization that not all researchers in this area
are genetic determinists, Panglossian adaptationists, or wan-
ton biologizers, and that many are prepared to place empha-
sis on non-biological and even non-evolutionary explana-
tions.
Our intention is that this introductory book will be of use
to undergraduate and postgraduate students (for example,
in zoology, anthropology, and psychology) and to experts
on one approach who would like to know more about the
other perspectives, but also to lay persons interested in evo-
lutionary explanations of human behaviour. We have tried
to write the text so that anyone interested in this subject
area will find the material easy to comprehend. Our inten-
tion is not to provide a textbook review of the whole subject
area, but rather to give a taste of the various options. For
readers who would like to know more about a particular
perspective, further reading is provided at the end of the
book.
The most enjoyable aspect of writing this book has been
the opportunity to interact with many of the leading
authorities in this area of research. We have been over-
whelmed by the kindness and generosity of those who have
discussed their work with us and have commented on chap-
ters of the book: we have learned so much from them. We
would like to thank the following people for commenting
on one or more chapters and for discussing the material in
the book: Robert Aunger, Pat Bateson, Gillian Bentley,
Susan Blackmore, Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, Robert
Boyd, Nicky Clayton, Tim Clutton-Brock, Leda Cosmides,
Alan Costall, Nick Davies, Richard Dawkins, Daniel
Dennett, Robin Dunbar, Dominic Dwyer, Marc Feldman,
Dan Fessler, Jeff Galef, Oliver Goodenough, Russell Gray,
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PREFACE ix
Kristen Hawkes, Robert Hinde, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy,
DavidHull, Rufus Johnstone, Mark Kirkpatrick, Richard
Lewontin, Elizabeth Lloyd, John Maynard Smith, John
Odling-Smee, Sally Otto, Henry Plotkin, Peter Richerson,
Eric Alden Smith, Elliott Sober, John Tooby, Markus
Vinzent, and Ed Wilson. We are also particularly grateful to
Jeffrey Brown, Dominic Dwyer, Robert Hinde, Claire
Laland, Bob Levin, Ed Morrison, and John Odling-Smee
for reading the entire book and providing detailed
feedback. We would like to thank the members of the
Discussion Group at Madingley (Roz Almond, Yfke van
Bergen, James Curley, Rachel Day, Tim Fawcett, Will
Hoppitt, Jeremy Kendal, Bob Levin, and Liz Pimley), who
worked through early drafts of each chapter with us, and
provided very valuable input and encouragement. We were
helped by comments from Mat Anderson, Martin Daly,
Jean Dobel, Richard McElreath, Heather Proctor, and Joan
Silk. Thanks also to Martin Baum at OUP and to Sheila
Watson of Watson Little Ltd for their advice and guidance.
This research was supported by a Royal Society University
Research Fellowship to KNL and Medical Research Council
funding to GRB. Finally, we are grateful to Ed Wilson and
Sarah Blaffer Hrdy for their enthusiastic support and
encouragement, the memories of which have kept us going
when we thought that we might have bitten off more than
we could chew.
K.N.L. and G.R.B.
March 2002