Chapter 2 – Darwin’s Shadow: Evolution and the Naturalisation of Mind

A trait or behaviour that has evolved because it increases an organism’s chance of survival and reproduction in its environment. In psychology, adaptation refers to mental or behavioural traits shaped by evolutionary pressures.

A theory proposed by James Mark Baldwin suggesting that learned behaviours can influence evolutionary outcomes over generations. Individuals who adapt successfully through learning may be more likely to survive and pass on traits that support such learning.

A branch of psychology that studies the behaviour and mental processes of animals to understand the evolutionary roots of human psychology. It is grounded in the assumption of continuity between species.

A movement associated with Francis Galton that aimed to improve the genetic quality of human populations through selective breeding. It misused evolutionary theory to justify racist, sexist, and class-based hierarchies.

A modern field that explores how psychological traits and behaviours evolved to solve problems faced by our ancestors. It applies principles of natural selection to cognition, emotion, and social behaviour.

A school of psychological thought influenced by Darwin, which focuses on the purposes of mental processes—how they help individuals adapt to their environments.

The (now outdated) idea that traits acquired during an individual’s life can be passed on to their offspring. Though discredited in biology, it influenced early psychological theories of development and learning.

A principle proposed by C. Lloyd Morgan stating that animal behaviour should not be explained by higher mental faculties if simpler explanations suffice. It helped define more rigorous, observational methods in comparative psychology.

The belief that human psychology can be studied using the same methods and principles as the natural sciences. It assumes that mental life is a natural phenomenon and can be explained in biological terms.

The logical error of equating what is natural with what is morally or socially right. In psychology, this fallacy often appears when evolutionary explanations are used to justify inequality or discrimination.

The now-discredited idea that the development of the individual recapitulates the evolutionary history of the species. Popularised by G. Stanley Hall in child psychology.

An ideological application of Darwinian theory to human society, often used to justify imperialism, economic inequality, and racial hierarchies under the guise of ‘survival of the fittest.’