ANT211H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: The Selfish Gene, Theodosius Dobzhansky, Inclusive Fitness
Document Summary
Lecture 1: genetic & environmental sex determination: sociobiology. Genetic determinist theory of behavior which can be applied to any species. Explains social behavior in terms of its adaptive value. Mathematical genetics (hamilton: evolutionary psychology (ep) Explains apparent maladaptive human behavior: gene culture co-evolution, memetics. Culture is an evolutionary process in its own right. Human behavior is a complex product of genetic and culture forces. Cultural determinists culture is an independent evolutionary dynamic. Similar to co-evolutionism but now emphasizing the culture over the genetic. 1940-1960s julian huxley, theodosius dobzhansky, leslie white. Natural selection allows us to answer to why questions of human behavior. 4 explanations to answer why in biology: proximate causation based on structure, anatomy and physiology. Concerns the direct mechanisms that bring something about. Structural description: ultimate causation looking at evolutionary / adaptive view point. Causation on a generational time scale: ontogeny related to the development of the individual.
