Love of Shopping Is Not a Gene

by Anne Innis Dagg

Based on Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection, "Evolutionary Psychology" claims that "its all in our genes." At the beginning of the 21st century, genes are used to explain almost every aspect of human life, from social inequalities to health, sexuality, and criminality. This book is a critique of Darwinian psychology--alias evolutionary psychology, alias sociobiology--the study of the social behavior of animals and people based on evolution. In this provocative work, Innis Dagg, an eminent and outspoken critic of this ideology, first presents an overview of the theory and its popularity both among professionals and lay people, then she examines concepts of social behavior--based on 'genes vs culture'--including: aggression in the form of rape, infanticide, homicide, gang violence and war, and general criminality; homosexuality in both the human and the animal world; and race, IQ, and environment. Focusing on the problems present in much Darwinian psychological research--flawed data, faulty analysis, and political motives--this controversial book offers the first comprehensible critique of the most popular scientific theory of the late 20th century: Evolutionary Psychology. In the end, Innis Dagg presents a new perspective which acknowledges the complexity of life by placing at its center the living organism, in its environment, rather than the gene.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science

210 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

Canadian Anne Innis Dagg has loved giraffes her whole life. She pioneered a study of their behaviour for a year in Africa in the 1950s, and has written many scientific papers and four books about them. Her ground-breaking early research and lifelong commitment to giraffe conservation make her one of the worlds leading giraffe experts and a true friend to giraffes everywhere. She lives in Waterloo, Ontario.

Reviews

[John Dalton]

"Love of Shopping" is Not a Gene: Problems With Darwinian Psychology by Anne Innis Dagg (2004)