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The New Human Science

Authors :
Paul M. Bingham
Joanne Souza
Source :
Darwin's Roadmap to the Curriculum
Publication Year :
2019
Publisher :
Oxford University Press, 2019.

Abstract

All prior attempts to understand human origins, behavior, and history have led to paradoxes and dilemmas, highly resistant to resolution. This chapter reviews specific cases of failures to resolve these apparent paradoxes and dilemmas in human evolution and the social sciences. The authors argue that these failures are rooted in confusing proximate with ultimate causation. They further argue that a sound theory of human origins, behavior, and history (social coercion theory) can help to understand the human condition scientifically; specifically, this theory argues that all the unique properties of humans emerge from the unprecedented human social evolution, driven, in turn by the evolution of cost-effective coercive management of conflicts of interest. Finally, the authors argue that social coercion theory yields the first general theory of history, economics, and politics, which provides an approach to problems within the social sciences while armed with a grasp of ultimate causation. Consequently, formerly intractable scientific questions and social concerns become manageable and solvable.

Details

Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Darwin's Roadmap to the Curriculum
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........26c224882b1e0dc594566611b5f4b4e3
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190624965.003.0007