Quiz 3 Flashcards
(30 cards)
According to David Hull, does biology support the notion of human nature?
No
Why does David Hull not believe in an essence of Human Nature?
There are no human traits that are universal. For those traits that are universal, they’re not unique to us
What is an essential component of a biological species?
Variability - change is the only true universal
What is the argument against Hull’s view?
The cluster theory of statistics. That is, traits cluster together over time within a single species to a point of statistical consistency - this should be taken as being significant
How does existentialism imply the existence of human nature?
We all share the ability to choose what we do with our circumstances
What is epigenetics?
The widely accepted premise that our gene expressions are informed by environmental pressures
What is the nature/nurture debate?
To what extent do nature and nurture have an influence over us? Which one is more dominant?
Why is the nature/nurture debate pointless?
Causes that interact and rely on one another cannot be parsed
What is the bucket model?
An illustration that shows the futility of the nature/nurture debate
Why does this nature/nurture debate persist?
Thinkers from different fields hold different associations to the language we use to describe it
What is a phenotype?
The characteristics expressed by an organism
What is a genotype?
The entire set of an organisms’ genes
Who solved the blended inheritance problem?
Mendel - dominant/recessive genes
What is niche construction?
When an organism changes the environment to alter its selection pressures (Beaver dam, ant mount, etc)
What is the cultural drive hypothesis?
Our accomplishments derive from our ability to store and share information. Culture has given us intelligence, not the other way around.
What was found to make human’s unique in Laland’s alien scientist thought experiment?
- Cognition, communication
- Sharing/teaching
- Technology
- Population size
- Ecological Range
- Global environmental impact
What is Morgan’s Canon?
We should never ascribe activity to a higher-order cognitive function when we can ascribe it to a lower order one.
What is Shettleworth’s killjoy explanation?
The idea that human behaviour actually arising from simple mechanisms is often disappointing to us
Philosophical enquiry into animal cognition falls into three categories:
Foundational, Methodological, Specific issues relating to a study
What are the three main arguments for animal minds?
- Argument from analogy - humans have x, animals have x, therefore animals have minds because humans do as well
- Inference to the best explanation
- From evolutionary parsimony
What is Fred Dretske’s minimal rationality?
Avoidance of pain is a form of evolutionarily driven reasoning faculty. Animals are functionally rational.
What are some examples of animal culture?
Orcas and dolphins have unique hunting techniques relative to their pods
Elephants have unique migration routes and they also grieve
Chimps have cultural tool use
What are the ontological implications of animal minds?
What do we mean by self-aware and conscious?
What are some ethical implications of animal minds?
Should we be eating or testing on them?
