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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
Next Faculty Lecture Explores Evolutionary Psychology’s Perspective on Good and Evil, March 20
Glenn Scheyd, Jr., Ph.D.
The field of evolutionary psychology has engendered no shortage of controversy by investigating the adaptations underlying some of humans’ most objectionable behaviors: racial discrimination, psychopathic deception, infanticide, murder, warfare, and rape. The next Faculty Lecture Series talk, hosted by the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, will provide an overview of the field, with a focus on the evolutionary research studying rape and murder, and the reception it has received from circles inside and outside of academia.
“Sympathy for the Devil? Rape, Murder, and Evolutionary Psychology”
Faculty Lecture Series | Glenn Scheyd, Jr., Ph.D., associate professor and assistant director of the college’s Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Thursday, Mar. 20
Noon–1:00 p.m.
Alvin Sherman Library | Second Floor Gallery
About the Talk
Evolutionary psychology explains human nature and behavior as products of Darwinian selection pressures operating throughout the evolutionary history of our species. While many of the behaviors studied by evolutionary psychologists are prosocial (food sharing and parental investment, for instance), others are decidedly antisocial (such as rape and murder). To the extent that one equates “natural” with “good” or equates explaining a behavior with excusing it, evolutionary psychology then appears to occupy a morally indefensible position. Indeed it has repeatedly faced this accusation both from within academia and from without. What does evolutionary psychology have to say for itself?
About the Series
The Faculty Lecture Series draws from the knowledge and expertise of more than 140 full-time faculty members within the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. The series explores the faculty’s diverse areas of interest in the arts, humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, and biological sciences. These talks are free, and all are welcome to attend. For more information, contact James Doan, Ph.D., professor at the college, at (954) 262-8207.