PSY 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Rationality
10 Feb 2017
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If we understand things about animals, we can understand somethings about ourselves. Biological fitness greatest ability to reproduce in high quality and quantity. Adaptations for individual survival that are passed down in reproduction: an ability to survive allows one to reproduce, examples, hunger, pain, irrationally risk-adverse. Adaptations for reproduction: sexual desire, bond with offspring, capacity to love. Culture: patterns of thought and behavior learned from other people, often passed down from generation to generation, sets humans apart from other mammals. Vii. (more or less) uniquely human adaptations: language, especially the ability to discuss abstract ideas, deliberate teaching/learning, rationality. Shared adaptations can often be in conflict with uniquely human adaptations: can overrule hunger in order to lose weight/improve body image. Humans have a huge capacity to care for one another: this was important in a society where food was hard to come by.
