A few days ago I was confronted with the proposition that we cannot learn anything from evolution for the field of psychology. The main argument of my collocuter was that already between different species of primates there are huge differences so there would be no possibility to derive some new insight from a comparative view to our species.
While there are of course eminent persons like Konrad Lorenz, Norbert Bischof or Gerhard Vollmer who do not share this opinion I feel personally bound to answer this argument stating my own point of view regarding the value of the evolutionary approach to psychology. I will do this in 10 propositions:
1) All of our human biology, including our perceptional system and our brain, are formed by evolution. This leads to the point that we can only perceive and think in ways we are adapted for. In this situation: Why should our thinking about the human mind not gain insight from understanding evolutionary processes.
2) If we want to understand a complex system, what would be a more promising approach: a) Looking at it from inside, perceiving just a part of the system or b) Looking at it also from outside, conceiving the whole system.
3) Although we are and always behave as body and mind, psychology tends to forget the body and constructs cognitive theories which are floating over the reality like clouds. Evolutionary thinking helps us to tie our mental theories to evolutionarly developed bodies.
4) Psychology does not find a unifying way in its thinking. There are always emerging new paradigms like new fashions but up to now no paradigm could integrate all existing theory in one consistent framework. Evolutionary psychology can do this and can even integrate clinical psychology.
5) The evolutionary approach helps psychology with its way of asking the right questions. One important question thereby is "Why?". Only by asking the right questions we can get to the right answers.
6) Evolutionary psychology can also integrate the social and cultural dimension of humans and thus does not leave us in a field of cultural ambiguity. Culture is also an evolutionarily pre-formed expression of humans.
7) Evolutionary psychology also offers a dynamic view on the human mind, making the human lifetime development easily understandable
8) Evolutionary psychology does not neglect or suppress gender differences only because distinct political correctness is asking for it
9) Evolutionary psychology concentrates on the big issues in human life like sociality, sexuality, risk, foraging etc.
10) Evolutionary psychology is looking at what unites us with our environment and with other species rather than concentrating on - of course also important cultural delicacies. However, without knowing their bigger natural meaning and heritage we will not be able to fully understand these delicacies - and they will never taste as delicate as they do if we know how precious they are
