1. Human Ethology Human Sociobiology Human Behavioral Ecology Evolutionary Psychology Hay Day1960s1970s1990 - Focus on Universals; Continuity with Animals Universals; Function Variation & Diversity; Function Universals; Function Assumed Selective Environment In the past In the past (vague) Present Environment (& recent past) Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness How measure Adaptation? N.A. Reproductive Success or ‘Fitness’ Reproductive Success or ‘Fitness’ Design Criteria (re EEA) Usual study population All societies Traditional societies Modern societies

2. 1967

3. Irenaus Eibl-Eibesfeldt Human Ethology 1970 Universal communication signals Eye flash

4. Human Ethology

5. Wilson and this approach was opposed at Harvard by his evolutionary biologist colleagues Steven J. Gould & Richard Lewontin. Attacked at talk Nov 1978 AAAS meeting: “Wilson, you’re all wet!” E.O. Wilson: Sociobiology (1975) Last chapter – of 27 – was devoted to human behavior – this created the fuss and made ‘sociobiology’ disreputable (in the eyes of some). This book pulled together work of the 60’s and early 70’s on the function of animal behavior. Wilson named the approach “sociobiology” but it has come to be known as “behavioral ecology” or just “animal behavior”.

6. “What we are left with then is a particular theory about human nature, which has no scientific support, and which upholds the concept of a world with social arrangements remarkably similar to the world which E. O. Wilson inhabits. We are not denying that there are genetic components to human behavior. But we suspect that human biological universals are to be discovered more in the generalities of eating, excreting and sleeping than in such specific and highly variable habits as warfare, sexual exploitation of women and the use of money as a medium of exchange.” Allen et al (1975): Against “Sociobiology”

7. “What Wilson’s book illustrates to us is the enormous difficulty in separating out not only the effects of environment (e.g., cultural transmission) but also the personal and social class prejudice of the researcher. Wilson joins the long parade of biological determinists whose work has served to buttress the institutions of their society by exonerating them from responsibility for social problems”. Allen et al (1975): Against “Sociobiology” [i.e., Wilson is nothing but a Social Darwinist]

8. “Social Darwinism” Question: Does the evolutionary viewpoint imply a particular political point of view?

9. Two evolutionary approaches to human behavior were developed in the 1990s: Human Behavioral Ecology (HEB) – derived from a synthesis of evolutionary biology and anthropology Evolutionary Psychology (EP) – derived from a synthesis of evolutionary biology and psychology I think these are legitimate and complementary perspectives.

10. Human Behavioral Ecology Evolutionary Ecology applied to human groups Eric Smith Iniut 1991

11. 1992 Evolutionary Psychology ~1990 Evolutionary psychologists argue that much of human behavior is the output of psychological adaptations that evolved to solve recurrent problems in human ancestral environments (the EEA).

12. Human Ethology Human Sociobiology Human Behavioral Ecology Evolutionary Psychology Hay Day1960s1970s1990 - Focus on Universals; Continuity with Animals Universals; Function Variation & Diversity; Function Universals; Function Assumed Selective Environment In the past In the past (vague) Present Environment (& recent past) Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness How measure Adaptation? N.A. Reproductive Success or ‘Fitness’ Reproductive Success or ‘Fitness’ Design Criteria (re EEA) Usual study population All societies Traditional societies Modern societies