The Origin of Human Nature from the Perspective of Gene-culture Co-evolutionary Theory

Abstract

This study provides a rational reconstruction of Boyd and Richardson’s gene-culture co-evolutionary theory based on the methodology of Lakatos’ Research Program. In providing a more pluralistic and integrated theory of human evolution, Gene-culture co-evolutionary Theory adopts the “dual inheritance hypothesis”, which encompasses both biological and cultural evolution as a hardcore. Boyd and Richardson’s research program adheres to the negative heuristics that maintain hard cores and the positive heuristics that reinforce the theory by modifying and supplementing its protective belt. This study analyzes the structure of the theories’ explanations for human uniqueness from the perspective of novel predictions of Lakatos’ research program. To this end, the novel predictions of the research program are structured into the human cognitive structure, communication, culture, and the development of moral norms. The combination of these elements, which constitute human nature, presents a concrete scenario of the evolution of human beings.