Steven Pinker (1954 - )
Evolutionary psychology.
For millennia people have wondered and discussed about whether our behavior is innate (inborn) or whether we should attribute it to our environment. Some cognitive psychologists claim that not only we inherit some of our psychological characteristics, but that these characteristics are subject to the same natural selection as our physical characteristics. In other words, in their view, the mind is the product of the brain, which in turn is shaped by genetics. This new field in psychology is called evolutionary psychology. It is easy to imagine that this particular field is met with some strong opposition.
I would like to present to you four fears, which according to one of the proponents of the evolutionary psychology, a Canadian psychologist Steven Pinker, cause us not to want to accept the evolutionary psychology.
The first fear that Pinker names is inequality. If we assume that all people are born with a “clean slate” then it follows we are all born equal. However, if we do inherit mental traits, then that would mean that some people have a natural advantage over others.
The second fear Pinker mentions is the knowledge of the fact that all the imperfections and faults we might have are innate and cannot be altered or remedied. Therefore, any social reform to help the disadvantaged people would be fruitless.
Another fear, which works closely with the second one, is that we couldn’t hold people responsible for any wrongdoings, because everyone’s behavior is determined by genes, and therefore people have no control over their decision making processes.
Last and probably most important, is the fear that all the “noble” or “finer” feelings and emotions, like love, friendship, honor, loyalty etc., are just the processes of our genetic evolution.
I would love to know your opinion on this matter. Personally, I'm on the fence about this, but at the same time I realise that it's my emotional side that doesn't want to acknowledge the empirical facts. I suppose that if I had to decide right at this moment, I would agree with Steven Pinker. However, I will certainly need to do some follow up reading on this. Today, I just wanted to present you with the general idea and maybe spark some conversation. The one thing I am sure about, is that these conversations, given the speed with which the fields of technology and medicine are developing, will no longer take thousands of years. Perhaps the questions that people weren't able to answer since the beginning of time will finally be answerable very soon. Something tells me, however, we might not like the answers we find.
Thank you for stopping by!
JM