Special Topics In Philosophy Of Science Iii

AY2019/2020 Semester 2

The theme of this module is the philosophy of human evolution?a subdiscipline of the philosophy of biology. The module focuses on various ways that evolutionary theory has been used to explain human history, behaviour, and psychology. We begin with an introduction to Darwin?s theory of adaptation by natural selection. We then examine how evolutionary models of natural and sexual selection allow us to learn about the history of the hominin lineage. Next, we discuss cultural evolutionary theory to understand why human beings construct cultural traditions. In the final part of the module, we survey evolutionary perspectives on several aspects of the human condition: sexuality, parenting, altruism, cooperation, emotion, cognition, and morality. All the while, we will discuss philosophically significant debates concerning whether and how evolutionary theories of these human phenomena can be tested empirically.