Evolutionary theory and human nature / by Ron Vannelli.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vannelli, Ron, 1938-

Contributor:

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human evolution.

Human behavior.

Behavior evolution.

Social evolution.

Cognition and culture.

Physical Description:

xii, 257 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Boston : Kluwer Academic Publishers, [2001]

Summary:

Evolutionary Theory and Human Nature is an original, highly theoretical work dealing with the transition from genes to behavior using general principles of evolution, especially those of sexual selection. It seeks to develop a seamless transition from genes to human motivations as bio-electric brain processes (emotional-cognitive processes), to human nature propensities (various constellations of emotional-cognitive forces, desires and fears) to species typical patterns of behavior. This work covers two often antagonistic fields: biology and the social sciences. It should be of strong interest to anthropologists, sociologists, sociobiologists, psychobiologists and psychologists who are interested in the question of human nature influences on social behavior.

Contents:

1 In Search Of Human Nature: Reason And Rationality 1

Reason As Rationality

In Search of an Empirical Science of Human Behaviour

2 Biology And The Social Sciences: The Issue Of Morality 27

Darwin's Impact

Biology and the Social Sciences; The Search for Morality

3 Biology And The Social Sciences: Epistemological And Ontological Issues 53

The Problem of Causation

Human Nature and the Problem of 'Pre-knowledge'

The Problem of Classification: Significance and Unity

In Search of Human Nature

4 Human Nature: Emotional-Cognitive Processes 95

Emotionality and Cognition: Meaning and Significance

The Biology of Emotional-Cognitive Processing

5 The Psychology Of Human Emotional-Cognitive Processing 121

Species Typical Emotional-Cognitive Motivators

The Evolution of Human Desires

The Evolution of Human Fears

6 Advanced Cognition 151

Evaluating

Delineating,

Deception and Self-deception

7 Human Nature And Social Propensities 179

Human Nature and the Processes of Political Society

The Search for Vengeance and the Social Order

Controlling Self and Others

8 In Search Of Political Society 207

Social Boundaries

Hierarchy, Politics and Spirituality

In Search of Natural Kinds of Behaviour.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [235]-248) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

ISBN:

0792374738

OCLC:

47283069