Evolution and Human Nature

A conception of human nature plays a central role in many debates in philosophy, and in the humanities and social sciences more broadly. This course aims to introduce students to evolutionary theories of human nature. We will discuss such issues as (i) whether evolutionary theory undermines the very idea of a fairly fixed and universal human nature; (ii) how and why humans came to be so very different from their great ape relatives; (iii) whether the explanatory toolkit that suffices to explain animal evolution suffices to explain human evolution as well, or whether (for example) the importance of culture to humans changes the rules of the evolutionary game; (iv) the extent to which we can have reasonably reliable knowledge of the human past. Students will engage in interdisciplinary work, analysing and responding to research not just in philosophy but also in relevant empirical disciplines, including archaeology, prehistory, palaeoanthropology, and behavioural economics. The course with not be considering the creation vs evolution controversy; the basic truth of an evolutionary theory of life will be assumed.