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The Odd Couple: The Compatibility of Social Construction and Evolutionary Psychology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2022

Ron Mallon  and
Stephen P. Stich
Ron Mallon*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Rutgers University
Stephen P. Stich
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Rutgers University
*
†Send requests for reprints to R. Mallon, Department of Philosophy, Davison Hall/Douglass Campus, Rutgers University, 26 Nichols Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901-2882; e-mail: stich@ruccs.rutgers.edu.
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Abstract

Evolutionary psychology and social constructionism are widely regarded as fundamentally irreconcilable approaches to the social sciences. Focusing on the study of the emotions, we argue that this appearance is mistaken. Much of what appears to be an empirical disagreement between evolutionary psychologists and social constructionists over the universality or locality of emotional phenomena is actually generated by an implicit philosophical dispute resulting from the adoption of different theories of meaning and reference. We argue that once this philosophical dispute is recognized, it can be set aside. When this is done, it becomes clear that the two approaches to the emotions complement, rather than compete with, one another.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 67 , Issue 1 , March 2000 , pp. 133 - 154
Copyright
Copyright © 2000 by the Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

‡

We would like to thank Peter Carruthers, Paul Griffiths and Catherine Lutz for help and comments on earlier drafts.

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