Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology: an Overview

Abstract

The first part of the article explains the understanding of evolutionary psychology that all complex phenomena in the natural world, including the structure of human psychology, are developed by natural selection. It also presents the idea that both the peripheral and higher cognitive processes have a modular structure which is known under the name massive modularity thesis. The second part provides a few insights into the broader scientific acceptance of evolutionary psychology within contemporary science. It includes a critique of the massive modularity thesis, of the reverse engineering algorithm, of adaptationism and of pluralism in evolutionary biology. We identify the main shortcomings of evolutionary psychology in its abstract understanding of human mind, the speculative nature of its methodology, its ignorance of the latest developments in evolutionary biology and its apparent tendency to oversimplify competing scientific views. Thus, we believe that at the moment evolutionary psychology is not yet prepared to serve as a metaframe for the science of human nature.