Abstract
Familial relationships cannot be properly understood outside of an evolutionary framework. Pseudoscientific and traditional modes of thought have steered us away from an accurate account of ourselves and our kin. Recent theoretical and empirical advances in the evolutionary sciences, such as the theories of inclusive fitness, parental investment, and parent-offspring conflict, have aided our understanding of familial conflict and cooperation. We suggest that a gene's eye perspective of human families can likewise illuminate much of human psychology and behavior by contrasting individual interests with genetic interests. Furthermore, theoretical and empirical work on genetic imprinting and extended phenotypic action-at-a-distance have unveiled the extent to which co-evolutionary arms races and manipulation lie at the heart of familial interactions and psychological disorders. We posit that human cultural trends and morals can ultimately be grounded on an evolutionary foundation: not only do human laws and institutions reflect group-level manifestations of gene-level cooperative adaptations, but also they may reflect gene-level manipulative adaptations. An awareness of evolutionary dynamics can advance human well-being and unveil the hidden mechanisms beneath all human and nonhuman relationships.
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