| article |
| Evolutionary Interpretations of Self-Deception |
| Evolutionary Interpretations of Self-Deception, Epoch and Philosophy(A Journal of Philosophical Thought in Korea) vol.18-1(2007), 205-234, in Korean Subject sphere: Philosophy of Biology, Evolution, Evolutionary Psychology Key Words: evolutionary theory of adaptation, sexual selection, self-deception, beneffectance, byproduct, social exchange This paper draws on the problem whether the evolutionary theory of adaptation could explain how the psychological phenomenon of self-deception works. The successful self-deception is even imaginary phenomenon externally, but it can be kept with highly internal consistency since it is treated as very actual and real thing for myself. Self-deception is the process or fact of misleading ourselves to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid. Self-deception is a way we justify false beliefs to ourselves. Greenwald explain the self-deception through his concept “beneffectance”, which is selectively perceived as responsible for desired, but not undesired, outcomes. Since then, evolutionary psychologists have, beyond the shadow of a doubt, interpreted the “self-deception” entirely as the theory of adaptation. According to the theory of adaptation, self-deceit is natural, that is, not only not pathological but positively beneficial to organism as they navigate their natural and social environments in the struggle for existence. On the contrary, in my article I sketched the another interpretations beyond theory of adaptation which had became a dominant interpretation. I conclude that self-deception may be not an adaptation, but a byproduct of human cognitive traits. Badcock, Christopher(2000), Evolutionary psychology, Polity Buller,J.David(2006), Adapting Minds, MIT Press Buss, David M. (2005), The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology, Wiley Cosmides,L/Tooby J.(1992), “Cognitive adaptations for social exchange”, In: Barkow,J./J.Tooby(ed), The Adapted Mind, Oxford Gould,S.J./Lewontin,R.(1978),”The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm”, Procedings of the Royal Society of London, 205 Gould,S.J.(1997), “Evolutionary Psychology: An Exchange”, The New York Review of Books 44-15(Oct.9.1997) Greenwald, A. G.(1980), “The Totalitarian Ego: Fabrication and revision of personal history”. American Psychologist 35 Han, H.-Y.(한호연) & K.-E. Ro.(1999). “Molecular phylogeny of the superfamily Tephritoidea (Insecta: Diptera): new evidence from the mitochondrial 12S, 16S, and COII genes”, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution Livingstone Smith, David(2004), Why we lie: the evolutionary roots of deception and the unconscious mind, St.Martin’s press Sterelny K. / Paul E. Griffiths(1999), Sex and Death, Chicago: The Univ. Chicago Press Trivers R.(1981), “Sociobiology and politics”. In Sociobiology and Human Politics, ed. E White, Lexington. Trivers, R.(1985), Social Evolution, Menlo Park, Califonia:Benjamin/Cummings Trivers, R.(2000), “Elements of a scientific theory of self-deception”, Annals of the New York academy of sciences, 907 Trivers, R.(1991), “Deceit and self-deception: the relationship between communication and consciousness”, In: Man and Beast, M. Robinson&L. Tiger(eds.) 175-191. Smithsonian, Washington. Trivers,R.(2002), Natural Selection and Social Theory, New York: Oxford Univ. Press Wrangham,R.(1999), “Is Military incompetence adaptive?”, Evolutionary Human Behavior 20 DATE 20070630 PUBLISHED BY A Journal of Philosophical Thought in Korea |