Evolution, cognition, and survival: Evolutionary epistemology and derivative topics

Abstract

The meaning of evolution for the study of cognitive mechanisms in animals and, particularly, knowledge phenomena in humans is—and has been since more than a century—the focus of many controversies in different disciplines. By taking evolution seriously, many naturalists and some philosophers have extended the evolutionary paradigm to all epistemic activities including such specifically human activities as science. However, there has also been resistance to evolutionary models, and it has been argued that what is now called “evolutionary epistemology” is an unduly reductionistic research program and hardly apt to give sufficient explanations of complex mental processes in humans. Others have criticized the evolutionary theory of cognition/knowledge as a metaphysical theory which cannot transgress its own premises and thus remains confined in a vicious circle. The aim of the present review is to show today's status of evolutionary epistemology as a scientific theory based on results in different fields of biological research, and to follow the main lines of recent discussions and controversies. Also, the connections between evolutionary epistemology and sociobiology are discussed and the relations between evolutionary models of mind and ethical issues outlined. Furthermore, it is pointed out that evolutionary epistemology will profit from an interchange with some recent developments in particular branches of (biological) science, e.g. neurobiology, and emerging disciplines like cognitive ethology.