Synopses & Reviews
John Dupré warns that our understanding of human nature is being distorted by two faulty and harmful forms of pseudo-scientific thinking. Not just in the academic world but increasingly in everyday life, we find one set of experts seeking to explain the ends at which humans aim in terms of evolutionary theory, and another set of experts using economic models to give rules of how we act to achieve those ends. Dupré demonstrates that these theorists' explanations do not work, and furthermore that if taken seriously their theories tend to have dangerous social and political consequences. For these reasons, it is important to resist scientism--an exaggerated conception of what science can be expected to do for us.
Dupré restores sanity to the study of human nature by pointing the way to a proper understanding of humans in the societies that are our natural and necessary environments. Anyone interested in science and human nature will enjoy this book, unless they are its targets.
Review
"Excellent, clear, and helpful"--Mary Midgley,
The Scientific and Medical Network ReviewSynopsis
"Review from previous edition The interesting question ... is why today's physicalist pathology should have achieved a considerable cultural plausibility, and it is here that we find this book's most innovative and important contribution to the philosophy of science."--David Hawkes, TLS
Synopsis
John Dupré warns that our understanding of human nature is being distorted by two faulty and harmful forms of pseudo-scientific thinking. Not just in the academic world but increasingly in everyday life, we find one set of experts seeking to explain the ends at which humans aim in terms of evolutionary theory, and another set of experts using economic models to give rules of how we act to achieve those ends. Dupré demonstrates that these theorists' explanations do not work, and furthermore that if taken seriously their theories tend to have dangerous social and political consequences. For these reasons, it is important to resist scientism--an exaggerated conception of what science can be expected to do for us.
Dupré restores sanity to the study of human nature by pointing the way to a proper understanding of humans in the societies that are our natural and necessary environments. Anyone interested in science and human nature will enjoy this book, unless they are its targets.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology
3. The Evolutionary Psychology of Sex and Gender
4. The Charms and Consequences of Evolutionary Psychology
5. Kinds of People
6. Rational Choice Theory
7. Freedom of the Will
Bibliography, Index