Evolution and the social sciences

Bibliographic Data

ID12220925
AuthorsR I M Dunbar (0000-0002-9982-9702, University of Liverpool, corresponding author)
Year2007
Volume20
Issue2
Pages29-50
Publication date2007-04-18
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHistory of the Human Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0952-6951 • E-ISSN: 1461-720X
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0952695107076197
OpenAlexW2042522237
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited27

When the social sciences parted company from evolutionary biology almost exactly a century ago, they did so at a time when evolutionary biology was still very much in its infancy and many key issues were unresolved. As a result, the social sciences took away with them an understanding of evolution that was in fact based on 18th- rather than 19th-century biology. I argue that contemporary evolutionary thinking has much more to offer the social sciences than most people have assumed. Contemporary evolutionary research on human behaviour focuses on two main issues at the micro-social scale: understanding the trade-offs in individual decision-making and understanding the cognitive constraints that limit flexibility of decisions. I offer examples of both of these approaches. Finally, I consider the broader question of the macro-social scale

Biology · Epistemology · Evolutionary ecology · Evolutionary neuroscience · Evolutionary psychology · Flexibility (engineering · Scale (ratio · Social evolution · Social science · Sociology · Anthropology · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Philosophy · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Ecology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub