Author/Editor		Pečjak, Vid
Title		Vzpon evolucijske psihologije
Translated title		The rise of evolutionary psychology
Type		članek
Source		Anthropos
Vol. and No.		Letnik 33, št. 1-3
Publication year		2001
Volume		str. 1-16
Language		slo
Abstract		Evolutionary psychology is a new scientific discipline, which is increasingly gaining the character of an independent psychology school, expounding virtually all psychological phenomena from its own standpoint. It has been influenced by neuropsychology, sociobiology, behavioural genetics and palaeoanthropology, the latter having unearthed an exceptionally large number of new fossils in the last decades. Particularly influential was Dawkins's "selfish gene" theory, which postulates that the basic unit of survival is the individual gene. Apart from genes, evolution was driven by memes, cultural units, which also reproduce and are bequeathed, though in a different way (by imitation and via oral and written sources). Mankind evolved for several millions of years, all the way from the genus Australopithecus to the genus Homo (H. habilis, H. erectus and H. sapiens). The key genetic and memetic milestones in human evolution are: bipedalism, encephalisation, the development of speech organs, invention of fire, advent of tools (choppers), evolution of consciousness and subsequently of language, and the development of new fonns of social organisation. Evolutionary psychology bases its explanation of today's behaviours on past behaviours evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago. It has been accused of speculation and the inability to explain specific important phenornena which did not contribute to the preservation and reproduction of mankind (e.g. homosexuality). Its harshest adversary has been creationism, which rejects the theory of evolution and draws exclusively on the Bible.
Summary		Evolucijska psihologija je nova znanstvena disciplina, ki dobiva značaj psihološke šole, ker razlaga malone vse psihološke pojave s svojega vidika. Nanjo so vplivale nevropsihologija, sociobiologija, vedenjska genetika in paleontologija človeka, ki je odkrila v zadnjih desetletjih izredno veliko novih fosilov. Posebno je vplivala Dawkinsonova teorija sebičnega gena, po kateri je osnovna enota preživetja posamezen gen. Poleg genov vplivajo na razvoj memi, kulturne enote, ki se prav tako replicirajo in prenašajo naprej, vendar na drugačne načine (s posnemanjem, ustnimi in pisnimi viri). Človek se je razvijal več milijonov let in sicer najprej kot rod Australopitekus, nato Homo (H. habilus, H. erectus in H. sapiens). Pomembni genetski in memski mejniki v razvoju človeka so: bipedalizem, encefalizacija, govorni organi, odkritje ognja, orodja (pestnjaki), nastanek zavesti, jezika in novih socialnih organizacij. Evolucijska psihologija razlaga sedanja vedenja s preteklimi, ki so se pojavila pred stotisočletji. Očitajo ji spekulativnost in nesposobnost razložiti nekatere pomembne pojave, ki niso prispevali k ohranitvi in replikaciji človeka (npr. homoseksualnost). Ostro ji nasprotuje kreacionizem, ki zanika razvoj človeka in se opira samo na Biblijo.
Descriptors		EVOLUTION GENETICS, BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY HOMINIDAE REPETITIVE SEQUENCES, NUCLEIC ACID