Blog 3

Evolutionary psychology resonates with me on many levels, yet i still am not entirely convinced. It seems easy to say that our preferences all hearken back to the days of the cavemen, saying that much like any species we have merely adapted in the ways that allow us to pass on our genes. I have heard very convincing arguments that explain modern sexual preferences (such as wide hips and large chests in women, which evolutionarily speaking would have indicated a higher ability to survive/succeed at childbirth) or even the way we eat   (our love of fatty sugary foods, which evolutionarily speaking would have only been available from fruits and other desirable snacks that would have been scarce during most of our evolution.) These arguments seem to make perfect sense, but it almost seems as if we are taking the easy way out. I agree with the criticism that we discussed in class that said that we could make up an evolutionary explanation for just about any phenomenon in life. I cant think of a single exception. Empiricism runs strong in my veins, and so i have to ask “where is the proof?” We are guessing so much about our evolutionary paths and have very little actual data or experimental studies to support these theories. I find that evolutionary psychology, while great to toss around the coffee table over a beer with some friends for some scholarly debate, is nothing more than pointless theorizing, with no applications seemingly for modern day science.