Philosophical Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology

by August John Hoffman

Overview

Philosophical Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology describes the unique relationship between early schools of thought in Greek philosophy, modern psychology, and most recently evolutionary psychology. This volume provides the reader with a concise history and description of some of the most important theories used in understanding human behaviors (i.e., the mind-body duality, the essence of human nature, and how humans have evolved to cooperate with each other) and how the physical characteristics of communities have contributed to positive (i.e., prosocial) or destructive (i.e., antisocial) behavior. It explores human nature from the philosophical perspectives of Socrates, Plato, Descartes, Locke, and Rousseau as contributing factors to the development of modern psychology (i.e., Structuralism, Functionalism, Behaviorism, and Biopsychology) that ultimately is combined with evolutionary psychology. Philosophical Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology alsoincorporates various topics of psychology that support the development of evolutionary psychology such as language and communication, gender differences, aggression, cooperative behaviors, and natural selection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498518154
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	12/24/2015
Pages:	226
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

August John Hoffman is professor of psychology at Metropolitan State University.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
Introduction
Part I:Early Philosophical Theories Contributing to the Development of Modern Psychology
Chapter 1:Philosophical Origins of Evolutionary Psychology
Chapter 2:Primary Philosophical Influences of Evolutionary Psychology
Chapter 3: Structuralism and Functionalism
Chapter 4: Three Primary Behavioral Influences in the Development of Evolutionary Psychology: Thorndike, Watson and Pavlov
Part II: The Evolutionary Components of Natural Selection
Chapter 5:Philosophical Influences of Natural Selection
Chapter 6:The Modern Problem of Aggression
Chapter 7:Competing Reproductive Drives: What’s Important to Men and Women?
Chapter 8:The Evolution of Language: Why Did Languages Evolve?
Part III: The Evolution of Morality and Cooperative Behaviors
Chapter 9:Why Does Morality Exist in Human Groups? Helping Others Helps Ourselves
Epilogue: Notes for the Future: Future Development of Evolutionary Psychology
References
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Hoffman's new scholarly text addresses three essential questions from a philosophical and psychological perspective: Who are we?; how did we get here?; and where are we going? He provides a must-read and a must-have book for instructors and students, with a community-based orientation. Knowing who we are as a people and a discipline, and how scientific psychology evolved to this place, as well as suggesting strong visions for our future, this book provides the key critical thinking components of a solid education. Well done, Dr. Hoffman.

Joseph R. Ferrari