A reference work, AI-written, openly sourced

Evolutionary psychology, organized for serious readers.

A curated reference to the concepts, methods, debates, and figures that constitute evolutionary psychology. Articles are written by AI for orientation, then linked outward to Wikipedia, Google Scholar, and book lists for deeper reading.

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Foundations & Theory

The core theoretical apparatus of evolutionary psychology: adaptationism, inclusive fitness, gene-culture coevolution, and the levels at which selection operates on minds and behavior.

Mating & Sexual Selection

Mate choice, parental investment theory, sexual conflict, jealousy, and the long argument over how sexual selection has shaped human cognition and behavior.

Cognition & Modularity

Massive modularity, cheater detection, folk biology, theory of mind, and the architecture of the evolved cognitive system.

Critiques & Debates

The Gould-Lewontin spandrels critique, Buller's Adapting Minds, feminist critiques, replication challenges, and the live disputes over the discipline's ambitions and methods.

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Smith, Subrena

Subrena Smith is a philosopher of science known for her critical analyses of evolutionary psychology, particularly her arguments concerning the evidential basis and testability of its core hypotheses. Her work challenges the methodological foundations of certain evolutionary psychological claims, focusing on issues of adaptationism and the nature of psychological traits.

Gowaty, Patricia Adair

Patricia Adair Gowaty is an American evolutionary biologist known for her pioneering work on sexual conflict, female promiscuity, and the evolution of social behavior, challenging prevailing assumptions about sex roles and reproductive strategies in animal species.

Hawkes, Kristen

Kristen Hawkes is an American anthropologist renowned for her contributions to human behavioral ecology, particularly her development of the "Grandmother Hypothesis." Her research focuses on the evolutionary significance of prolonged human post-reproductive lifespans and the role of grandmothers in provisioning and child-rearing.

Buller, David

David Buller is a philosopher of science known for his influential critiques of certain foundational assumptions and methodologies within evolutionary psychology, particularly as presented in the 'Santa Barbara school' tradition. His work emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between general evolutionary theory and specific, often speculative, psychological hypotheses.

Kim Hill (anthropologist)

Kim Hill is an American evolutionary anthropologist known for his extensive fieldwork among foraging societies, particularly the Ache of Paraguay, and for his contributions to life history theory, cooperative breeding, and the understanding of human foraging ecology. His research has provided crucial empirical data for testing hypotheses about human social behavior and demography within an evolutionary framework.

Richerson, Peter J.

Peter J. Richerson is a prominent evolutionary ecologist known for his foundational contributions to gene-culture coevolutionary theory, which posits that human behavior and institutions are shaped by the dynamic interplay between genetic and cultural evolution. His work, often in collaboration with Robert Boyd, has been instrumental in developing mathematical models and theoretical frameworks to understand how culture can act as an inheritance system, influencing human adaptation and diversification.

Robert Wright

Robert Wright is an American journalist and author known for his accessible explorations of complex scientific and philosophical topics, particularly his role in popularizing evolutionary psychology through his seminal work, *The Moral Animal*.