The Adapted Mind

Evolutionary Psychology and the Generation of Culture

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Earth Sciences, Palaeontology, Biological Sciences, Evolution, Health & Well Being, Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
Cover of the book The Adapted Mind by , Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9780190282813
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: October 19, 1995
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9780190282813
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: October 19, 1995
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Although researchers have long been aware that the species-typical architecture of the human mind is the product of our evolutionary history, it has only been in the last three decades that advances in such fields as evolutionary biology, cognitive psychology, and paleoanthropology have made the fact of our evolution illuminating. Converging findings from a variety of disciplines are leading to the emergence of a fundamentally new view of the human mind, and with it a new framework for the behavioral and social sciences. First, with the advent of the cognitive revolution, human nature can finally be defined precisely as the set of universal, species-typical information-processing programs that operate beneath the surface of expressed cultural variability. Second, this collection of cognitive programs evolved in the Pleistocene to solve the adaptive problems regularly faced by our hunter-gatherer ancestors--problems such as mate selection, language acquisition, cooperation, and sexual infidelity. Consequently, the traditional view of the mind as a general-purpose computer, tabula rasa, or passive recipient of culture is being replaced by the view that the mind resembles an intricate network of functionally specialized computers, each of which imposes contentful structure on human mental organization and culture. The Adapted Mind explores this new approach--evolutionary psychology--and its implications for a new view of culture.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Although researchers have long been aware that the species-typical architecture of the human mind is the product of our evolutionary history, it has only been in the last three decades that advances in such fields as evolutionary biology, cognitive psychology, and paleoanthropology have made the fact of our evolution illuminating. Converging findings from a variety of disciplines are leading to the emergence of a fundamentally new view of the human mind, and with it a new framework for the behavioral and social sciences. First, with the advent of the cognitive revolution, human nature can finally be defined precisely as the set of universal, species-typical information-processing programs that operate beneath the surface of expressed cultural variability. Second, this collection of cognitive programs evolved in the Pleistocene to solve the adaptive problems regularly faced by our hunter-gatherer ancestors--problems such as mate selection, language acquisition, cooperation, and sexual infidelity. Consequently, the traditional view of the mind as a general-purpose computer, tabula rasa, or passive recipient of culture is being replaced by the view that the mind resembles an intricate network of functionally specialized computers, each of which imposes contentful structure on human mental organization and culture. The Adapted Mind explores this new approach--evolutionary psychology--and its implications for a new view of culture.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Atlantic Slave Trade: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by
Cover of the book Rethinking Secularism by
Cover of the book Distributed Agency by
Cover of the book Professionalizing Leadership by
Cover of the book The Reign of Relativity by
Cover of the book Provincial Hinduism by
Cover of the book Foundations of the Neuron Doctrine by
Cover of the book Bounce by
Cover of the book The Philosophy of Sociality by
Cover of the book Africa's Endangered Languages by
Cover of the book Tantric Traditions in Transmission and Translation by
Cover of the book David Copperfield Level 5 Oxford Bookworms Library by
Cover of the book Goal Focused Positive Psychotherapy by
Cover of the book The Sorcerer of Bayreuth by
Cover of the book The Spirit's Tether by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy