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Interactionism and Innateness in the Evolutionary Study of Human Nature

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Abstract

While most researchers who use evolutionary theory to investigatehuman nature especially human sexuality describe themselves as ``interactionists'', there is no clear consensus on the meaning of thisterm in this context. By interactionism most people in the fieldmean something like, both nature and nurture ``count'' in thedevelopment of human psychology and behavior. Nevertheless, themultidisciplinary nature of evolutionary psychology results in a widevariety of interpretations of this general claim. Today, mostdebates within evolutionary psychology about the innateness of agiven behavioral characteristic or over its development turn as muchon which conception of ``innateness'' and ``interactionism'' theresearcher holds as on any empirical data they might derive.

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Horvath, C.D. Interactionism and Innateness in the Evolutionary Study of Human Nature. Biology & Philosophy 15, 321–337 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006717316436

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