The Social Construction of Human Nature

Bibliographic Data

ID20002818
AuthorsKevin N Laland (0000-0002-2457-0900), Elizabeth Hannon, Gillian R Brown (0000-0002-0675-0780), Tim Lewens (0000-0002-4617-9216)
Year2018
Pages272
Publication date2018-07-19
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueWhy We Disagree about Human Nature (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/oso/9780198823650.003.0008
OpenAlexW2884452149
Open LibraryOL28646990M
ISBN9780198823650
LanguageEN
Citations received6

What is the job that the term ‘human nature’ is expected to do? Three notions are prevalent but are problematic: (1) Distinguishing what is biological from what is cultural/environmental. Here the term fails. (2) Characterizing the defining features of humanity, thereby allowing us to be distinguished from other species. This stance is tenable but contributes little. (3) Characterizing what is universal or typical about humanity, because of our ‘evolved biological heritage’. Here the term is tenable but misleading and hence counterproductive. ‘Human nature’ is equally reciprocally caused by gene–culture coevolution and niche construction. Given that the term has little explanatory power but carries extensive baggage, we suggest that it should be abandoned. It can be replaced with descriptions of human behaviour and cognition as the product of socially mediated internal and external constructive processes operating over both developmental and evolutionary timescales

Biology · Coevolution · Cognitive science · Constructive · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Explanatory power · Humanity · Niche construction · Political science · Sociology · Computer Science · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Language and cultural evolution · Philosophy · Psychology · Philosophical anthropology · Science · Ecology

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