quote:
Originally posted by Philip:
Skinner ... The 'Calvinist' of behavioral psychology, he believed we are governed by our observed environment like rats in the experimental maze. I would think that mutationalists would follow the same religion ...
I seem to remember you use mutationalist in place of evolutionist. In this case I would say you are wrong, though perhaps not entirely.
Firstly you would be wrong to generalise about the behaviourist theories of evolutionists or to deduce any necessary behavioural theory from the theory of evolution.
Nevertheless, in the study of gene expression, there is a danger of genetic determinism: of believing that genes which may influence behaviour do so in a way that is consistently expressed. Such a view is too simplistic to be honestly held by all but the most crippingly narrow-minded scientist. That the public may be influenced in the direction of determinism by talk of "gay genes" or "aggresive genes" is a indictment of science's greatest failing - the failure to communicate its methods and findings clearly.
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