Introduction
Evolutionary psychology (EP) is a theoretical approach in natural and social sciences which examines the psychological structure from a modern evolutionary perspective. This topic deals with natural selection in human evolution or sexual selection. In psychology, this is one of the most important topics where people are trying to understand how evolution might have impacted the people into doing certain or having a certain behavior. Adapting to the environment is an important aspect of survival in this world. By understanding evolutionary psychology, such elements of adaptation such as identifying and preferring healthier mates can be studied and identify how humans beings have survived this long. Evolutionary psychology can also help the psychology world by understanding or discerning kin-from-kin or understanding the ability of an individual inferring the emotions of others. Evolutionary psychology is a field that offers multiple windows to understand how behavior or the minds have shaped the human race.
Summary
In the introduction to the article, the author has posted a question which is also the topic. The question reads Is Evolution a Good Explanation for the Psychological concept? The book starts with a summary where it discusses the debate which has engulfed the issue in Evolutionary Psychology. The author explains that evolutionary psychology has many critics who argue that the philosophical assumption of EP deny important aspects of humanity such as personal responsibility and morality. According to scholars, as written by the author, morality is evolutionary. However, critics also argue that the scholars have confused morality with psychology, and they are wrong in their perceptions of evolutionary psychology.
In the article, some scholars state that evolutionary psychology has been helpful over the years and not evil as some people think. Those who are against EP argue that evolutionary psychology is not innocent, but rather, it has a negative implication for the people where humans have no real choice about their behavior and thus no responsibility. The article further discusses the future of evolutionary psychology. It discusses that EP has proven extremely powerful in generating new research questions, providing coherent explanations for basic human behavioral patterns, and generating novel findings of what it is human. In the article, Geer discusses the weakness of EP. He states the EP is inescapably undergirded with a variety of values, biases, and commitments that serve not only to shape and direct EP’s study of human behavior but to also provide a context in which data can be interpreted.
Geher cites the work of David Buss in the article where mate0age selection proof that females select older men over the younger ones due to the imperatives of natural selection. Monism, which is another ideology of EP, has been discussed in the article where Monism is the idea that all reality is of the same subject or kind and the same laws and rules. The article further discusses how EPs reduce the meaning of life. This argument is given by critics where they argue that EPs reduce the meaning of life and relationship by making the body as a mechanical object. The author puts it that, if EP is taken seriously, then people's values and ethics is nothing more but merely an interaction of genetic survival mechanism and environmental happenstance. Geher concludes the article by stating that evolutionary psychology is not evil because from EP perspective, there is nothing like wrong or right, good or evil, reason, meaning or truth.
Analysis & Response
The interaction of people with the society or environment has also changed the behavior of individuals. I support the issue that natural and sexual selection is as a result of evolutionary change. As discussed in the book, women select men that are older than them or well built. This is not a thing that has been taught, but an evolutionary psychology. A woman in the company of a man feels safe compared to a company of women. It is not because the men are well built but just an evolutionary psychology where women take the men to be the aggressive party and brave in dangerous situations.
Sex life is another topic that has been dealt with in the article regarding evolutionary psychology. The author discusses the mating styles that partners use from region to region is as a result of the evolutionary path. The number of sex partners desired is evolutionary in that; it has been developed by our ancestors from a long time. For example, many societies do not allow a woman to have more than one partner. It is shunned, and such a woman will be labeled all sorts of names. For a man, however, they have a niche of having more than two partners. This is an evolutionary trait that arises from our great ancestors who had countless women on their side. Men desire many sex partners while female companions only desire one partner at most.
In conclusion, evolutionary psychology should be approached in the simplest way. The simple matter in the society shows how the psychology of different individuals is as a result of evolution. The environment changes the way we interact, but the native character is mostly never changed. This has what has natured some behavior in different individuals. Some critics mat argue that EP is dangerous to people and unwarranted for in the field of psychology, but as the author puts it, evolutionary psychology is not evil in any way.
