{"id":164135,"date":"2025-10-05T16:16:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T00:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=164135"},"modified":"2025-10-05T16:22:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T00:22:59","slug":"evolutionary-psychology-the-new-science-of-the-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=164135","title":{"rendered":"Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"

David M. Buss writes in this 2024 book<\/a>:<\/p>\n

* The theory of natural selection has many virtues that scientists seek in a scientific theory: (1) it explains known facts, (2) it leads to new predictions, and (3) it provides guidance to important domains of scientific inquiry.<\/p>\n

* Evolution by natural selection is the only known scientific theory that can explain the astonishing diversity of life we see around us today. And it is the only known scientific theory that has the power to account for the origins and structure of complex adaptive mechanisms\u2014from callus-producing mechanisms to large brains\u2014that define human nature.<\/p>\n

* [Robert] Trivers argued that the sex that invests more resources in its offspring (often, but not always, the female) will evolve to be more choosy or discriminating in selecting a mate. The sex that invests fewer resources in its offspring, in contrast, will evolve to be less choosy and more competitive with members of their own sex for sexual access to the valuable, high-investing opposite sex.<\/p>\n

* Because we know that humans spent 99 percent of their evolutionary history as hunter-gatherers, for example, we could predict that part of women\u2019s evolved preference will include the specific qualities needed for successful hunting, such as athletic prowess, good hand-eye coordination, and the physical endurance needed for long hunts.<\/p>\n

* It is part of the lion\u2019s nature to walk on four legs, grow a large furry mane, and hunt other animals for food. It is part of the butterfly\u2019s nature to enter a flightless pupa state, wrap itself in a cocoon, and emerge to soar gracefully in search of food and mates. It is part of the porcupine\u2019s nature to defend itself with quills, the skunk\u2019s to defend itself with a nasty spray, the stag\u2019s to defend itself with antlers, and the turtle\u2019s to defend itself with a shell. All species have a nature; that nature is different for each species. Each species has faced somewhat unique selection pressures during its evolutionary history and therefore has confronted a somewhat different set of adaptive problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David M. Buss writes in this 2024 book: * The theory of natural selection has many virtues that scientists seek in a scientific theory: (1) it explains known facts, (2) it leads to new predictions, and (3) it provides guidance … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12745],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-164135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-evolution"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t