Evolutionary theorists tend to associate &lsquo\;how&rsquo\; explanations with the present and &lsquo\;why&rsquo\; explanations with the evolutionary past. This is a mistake because one can legitimately ask &lsquo\;how&rsquo\; questions about the past and &lsquo\;why&rsquo\; questions about the present. This pervasive error has affected not only biology\, but also work at the intersection of biology and psychology. As a result\, less mechanistic approaches to human psychology have been overlooked by evolutionarily-minded philosophers and scientists.
\nIn this talk I will discuss the origins of this misalignment of &lsquo\;how&rsquo\; and &lsquo\;why&rsquo\; questions\, and I will consider a series of case-studies in which evolutionary &lsquo\;why&rsquo\; explanations supplant\, rather than complement\, proximate &lsquo\;why&rsquo\; explanations. Specifically\, I will consider evolutionary and psychoanalytic explanations of obesity\, racism\, and &lsquo\;mate selection&rsquo\;. I will try to show that by getting the relationship between &lsquo\;how&rsquo\; and &lsquo\;why&rsquo\; explanations right we can shed light on interesting and important aspects of human mind and behaviour.
\nAdam Hochman recently completed his PhD in philosophy at the University of Sydney. He has published on philosophy of biology\, philosophy of psychology\, and on the history and philosophy of race. His work has been translated into German. Adam is currently tutoring for World Religions and Freud and Philosophy at Deakin.
\n ORGANIZER;CN=Sean Bowden: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR