Darwinism in the social sciences and humanities

Abstract

Objašnjavanje ljudskog ponašanja, njegovih kulturnih i društvenih aspekata, ali i biološke pozadine, tijekom godina bilo je tema brojnih radova i rasprava. Nitko ne moţe osporiti doprinose društvenih znanosti u rješavanju ovog problema, no mnogo se toga moţe reći u prilog vaţnosti zaključaka evolucijske biologije i genetike u samom procesu. Primjeri koji su navedeni u ovom radu uključuju karakteristične dijelove naših društava poput prijateljstva i posvajanja. Argumentirano je kako je pronaĎen značajan udio homofilije izmeĎu prijatelja te kako posvajanje sadrţi osobitosti koje se mogu povezati s prirodnom selekcijom, odnosno ima odlike adaptivnog ponašanja. Sljedeće poglavlje raspravlja o lošem raspoloţenju kao adaptaciji koja je imala vaţnu ulogu u ranoj povijesti čovječanstva gdje je ljudima omogućila čuvanje energije i odvratila ih od rizičnog ponašanja. U zadnjem je dijelu rada istaknuto kako nam razni biološki sustavi, poput bakterija, mogu pokazati na koji se način moţe upravljati javnim dobrima i postići odrţivost.Explaining human behaviour, its cultural and social aspects, but also its biological background, has been the topic of many papers and disputes over the years. Whilst no one could deny the contributions that different social sciences made in order to solve this problem, there is an argument to be made that evolutionary biology and genetics must also be included in the process. Examples that are discussed in this paper include typical aspects of our societies such as friendship and adoption. It is argued that there is an observed degree of homophily amongst friends and that adoption displays characteristics associated with natural selection and seems to be a form of adaptive behaviour. Another chapter questions whether low mood could be thought of as an adaptation that had an important role in the early human history where it provided them with the means of energy conservation and deterred them from risky behaviours. In the last part of the paper, it is pointed out how different biological systems, such as bacteria, can support us with valuable knowledge on managing public goods and achieving sustainability