01:185:253 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins, Intentionality
9 Feb 2018
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The Focus on Genes
1. About 50 years ago, W.D. Hamilton added a major new element to the theory of
natural selection by noting that natural selection will favor traits that cause
copies of an organism’s genes to spread thru a population (how fast running
zebras evolved)
a. One way to get lots of copies of your genes into the population in the
future is to have lots of children and grandchildren
b. Another way is to do things that help your kin to reproduce since your kin
have copies of your genes (siblings)- get them food, help them survive
c. So, a gene that leads an organism to sacrifice itself when doing so will
save the life of 2 or more siblings (or 8 cousins) will spread thru the
population (kin selection)
i. There is a sense in which that gene is not beneficial to the
organism that has it, since it leads to the death of the organism
ii. This led Richard Dawkins to propose the colorful metaphor of
“The Selfish Gene”- natural selection will lead to the spread of
genes that do a good job of ensuring that copies of themselves
survive and replicate, even if they must sacrifice their “owner” to
do it (even if copies of genes come from kin and not you)
iii. As Evolutionary Psychologists who adopt the selfish gene
prospective often emphasize, you have the genes you do, NOT
because they lead to traits that will make you happy, and NOT
because they lead to traits that will help YOU survive and
reproduce
Rather, they lead to traits that have helped THEM to reproduce
(the genes)
ex.) social insects (bees) sting intruders despite dying after stinging
IV. The Origins of Evolutionary Psychology
A. Evolutionary Psychology emerged in the early 1990’s when a number of researchers
combined ideas from contemporary evolutionary biology with ideas from the fast
developing field of cognitive science
B. What IS cognitive science? (philosophy, psychology, computer science, linguistics,
neuroscience, evolutionary biology, anthropology… interdisciplinary)
1. In the 1960’s researchers in a number of disciplines realized that they could use
the methods, findings and theories of the other disciplines to help them answer
questions about the mind
2. Philosophy was important both because of what it could give to the other
cognitive science disciplines and what it could take from them
a. Philosophy could take an increasingly rich body of experiments and
theories that are directly relevant to questions philosophers have been
asking since antiquity
i. Many central philosophical questions seem to be straightforwardly
empirical (facts about nature, human psychology)
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Document Summary
The focus on genes: about 50 years ago, w. d. There is a sense in which that gene is not beneficial to the organism that has it, since it leads to the death of the organism. This led richard dawkins to propose the colorful metaphor of. Rather, they lead to traits that have helped them to reproduce (the genes) ex. ) social insects (bees) sting intruders despite dying after stinging. Rene descartes said nothing made of matter could have consciousness or engage in rational thought/ nothing made of matter can think. Descartes" dualism: matter (in space and time, can"t have conscious experience) and minds (in time, not in space, created as things that can think- consciousness, intentionality, rationality) Ex. when you look at a blue square or solve mental math, it"s not in your brain, it"s a mental state of consciousness- a conscious experience- in your mind.
