Adaptive explanations of behaviors: obstacles and overcomings

[摘要] This paper seeks to clarify and modestly defend the use of adaptive explanations – explaining the existence of a trait by reference to putative historical selection pressures – within the evolutionary behavioral sciences. I identify four major areas of concern: (1) the kind of target that behavior is, (2) the explanatory strategy used by adaptive explanations, (3) the forward-looking or model-based approach to adaptive explanations, and (4) the adaptive explanation of human behaviors. After working through each of these areas, I conclude that, adaptive explanation, even via the forward-looking approach, is a viable strategy to explain the behavior of human and non-human animals, but is subject to legitimate difficulties and limitations concerning hypothesized selection pressures, cognitive complexity, and non-genetic systems of inheritance.

[发布机构] the University of Pittsburgh