Principles of Evolution

Principles of Evolution

1. Assumptions

   • Brain evolved to solve problems found by ancestors
   • Brain evolution is continuous
   • The brain of each species is adapted to solve problems encountered by individuals

2. Critiques

   • 'Everything is an adaptation'
   • 'Everything is genetically determined'
   • 'Everything is explained by genes'
   • 'Injustice is biologically explained'

3. Behavioural Universals

   • Behaviours that have strong genetic components - must have been adaptive at some point

4. Levels of analysis

   • Genes -> nervous system -> behaviour -> culture

5. Methods

   • Twin studies
   • Comparative method
   • Cross-cultural research
   • Modelling

6. Tinbergen

   • Ontogeny
     • How do we develop preferences?
   • Proximate mechanism
     • How does the preference work?
   • Phylogenetic pathway
     • How did the preference evolve?
   • Ultimate function
     • Why do they have these preferences?

7. Natural selection

   • Life occurred once; everything evolved from it
   • Species evolve slowly and continuously
   • Driven by variation

8. The Selfish Gene

   • Fate of the group is irrelevant to decision of individual
   • Individual not always relevant
     • Bodies come and go but genes survive

9. Genetic variation

   • Most gene variations don't affect the phenotype
   • Fragile X syndrome
     • Single gene origins are very rare