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Sociodicy
Sociodicy is the explanation and exploration of the fundamental goodness of human society. It seeks to provide an account for humans' general success in living together (and their enacting of good qualities such as love, friendship, cooperation, and teaching) despite their propensity to selfishness, violence, and evil (which are also clearly a part of human nature) and despite the variation and difference seen across human populations. The complex relationship between good and evil in human nature is a longstanding topic in philosophy and the social sciences. Sociodicy addresses the conceptual and empirical question: How can the goodness of the social world be explained despite the badness? In theology, by analogy, this concern is known as “theodicy”: How is God justified in the face of the presence of evil in the world? One technical illustration of the concept of sociodicy is the fact that, according to some evolutionary theorists, such as Samuel Bowles, tribalism and out- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Self-domestication
Self-domestication is a scientific hypothesis that posits the occurrence of a process of artificial selection among human beings, akin to that observed in domesticated animals. This process has been executed by human beings themselves. During the process of hominization, a preference for individuals exhibiting collaborative and social behaviors would have emerged, thereby optimizing the benefits for the entire group: docility, language, and emotional intelligence would have been enhanced during this process of artificial selection. The hypothesis posits that this distinction is the primary factor that distinguishes ''Homo sapiens'' from ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and ''Homo erectus''. Origin and status of the hypothesis In general, domesticated animals possess common characteristics that differentiate them from their non-domesticated counterparts (for example, in the case of ''Canis familiaris'' compared to their relatives, ''Canis lupus'', among many other cases): they tend to b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nicholas Christakis
Nicholas A. Christakis ( ) (born May 7, 1962) is a Greek American sociologist and physician known for his research on social networks and on the social, economic, biological, and evolutionary determinants of human welfare (including the behavior, health, and capabilities of individuals and groups). He is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University, where he directs the Human Nature Lab. He is also the co-director of the Yale Institute for Network Science. Christakis was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in 2024. He was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Medicine in 2006; of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2010; and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017. In 2021, he received an honorary degree in economics from the University of Athens, Greece. He was awarded the Barry Prize for Distinguished Intellectual Achievement by the American Academy of Sciences and Letters in 2024. In 2009, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evil
Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is generally seen as taking multiple possible forms, such as the form of personal moral evil commonly associated with the word, or impersonal natural evil (as in the case of natural disasters or illnesses), and in religious thought, the form of the demonic or supernatural/eternal. While some religions, world views, and philosophies focus on "good versus evil", others deny evil's existence and usefulness in describing people. Evil can denote profound immorality, but typically not without some basis in the understanding of the human condition, where strife and suffering ( cf. Hinduism) are the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theodicy
In the philosophy of religion, a theodicy (; meaning 'vindication of God', from Ancient Greek θεός ''theos'', "god" and δίκη ''dikē'', "justice") is an argument that attempts to resolve the problem of evil that arises when all power and all goodness are simultaneously ascribed to God. Unlike a ''defence'', which merely tries to demonstrate that the coexistence of God and evil is logically possible, a theodicy additionally provides a framework wherein God and evil's existence is considered plausible. The German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Leibniz coined the term "theodicy" in 1710 in his work , though numerous responses to the problem of evil had previously been proposed. Similar to a theodicy, a cosmodicy attempts to justify the fundamental goodness of the universe, and an anthropodicy attempts to justify the goodness of humanity. Definition and etymology As defined by Alvin Plantinga, a theodicy is "an answer to the question of why God permits evi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samuel Bowles (economist)
Samuel Stebbins Bowles (; born June 1, 1939), is an American economist and professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he continues to teach courses on microeconomics and the theory of institutions. His work belongs to the neo-Marxian (variably called post-Marxian) tradition of economic thought. However, his perspective on economics is eclectic and draws on various schools of thought, including what he and others refer to as post- Walrasian economics. Biography Bowles, the son of U.S. Ambassador and Connecticut Governor Chester Bowles, graduated with a B.A. from Yale University in 1960, where he was a founding member of the Yale Russian Chorus, participating in their early tours of the Soviet Union. Subsequently, he received his Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University in 1965 with the thesis titled ''The Efficient Allocation of Resources in Education: A Planning Model with Applications to Northern Nigeria''. In 1973, the Economics Department of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tribalism
Tribalism is the state of being organized by, or advocating for, tribes or tribal lifestyles. Human evolution primarily occurred in small hunter-gatherer groups, as opposed to in larger and more recently settled agricultural societies or civilizations. With a negative connotation and in a political context, tribalism can also mean discriminatory behavior or attitudes towards out-groups, based on in-group loyalty. Definition The term "tribe" derives from the ancient Latin word "tribus" and can be defined to mean an extended kin group or clan with a common ancestor. A tribe can also be described as a group who share the common interest of mutual survival and preservation of a common culture. The proverb " birds of a feather flock together" describes homophily, the human tendency to form friendship networks with people of similar occupations, interests, and habits. Some tribes can be located in geographically proximate areas, like villages or bands, and although telecommunicati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cooperation (evolution)
In evolution, cooperation is the process where groups of organisms work or act together for common or mutual benefits. It is commonly defined as any adaptation that has evolved, at least in part, to increase the reproductive success of the actor's social partners. For example, territorial choruses by male lions discourage intruders and are likely to benefit all contributors. This process contrasts with intragroup competition where individuals work against each other for selfish reasons. Cooperation exists not only in humans but in other animals as well. The diversity of taxa that exhibits cooperation is quite large, ranging from zebra herds to pied babblers to African elephants. Many animal and plant species cooperate with both members of their own species and with members of other species. In animals Cooperation in animals appears to occur mostly for direct benefit or between relatives. Spending time and resources assisting a related individual may at first seem destructive to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Hare
Brian Hare (born 1976) is a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University. He researches the evolution of cognition by studying both humans, our close relatives the primates (especially bonobos and chimpanzees), and species whose cognition converged with our own (primarily domestic dogs). He founded and co-directs the Duke Canine Cognition Center. Biography Hare obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Psychology from Emory University in 1998. As an undergraduate, he conducted research with Michael Tomasello, where he found that chimpanzees are sensitive to what other chimpanzees can and cannot see, and that domestic dogs can follow humans’ pointing gestures to find food. Hare continued his study of primate and canid cognition at Harvard University, where he was advised by Richard Wrangham. In 2004, he obtained his Ph.D in Biological Anthropology. He joined the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, where he fou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Wrangham
Richard Walter Wrangham (born 1948) is an English anthropologist and primatologist; he is Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University. His research and writing have involved ape behavior, human evolution, violence, and cooking. Biography Wrangham was born in Leeds, Yorkshire. Following his years on the faculty of the University of Michigan, he became the Ruth Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University and his research group is now part of the newly established Department of Human Evolutionary Biology. He is a MacArthur fellow. He is co-director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project, the long-term study of the Kanyawara chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda. His research culminates in the study of human evolution in which he draws conclusions based on the behavioural ecology of apes. As a graduate student, Wrangham studied under Robert Hinde and Jane Goodall. Wrangham is known predominantly for his work in the ecology of primate social ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bonobo
The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee (less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee), is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus ''Pan (genus), Pan'' (the other being the common chimpanzee, ''Pan troglodytes''). While bonobos are today recognized as a distinct species in their own right, they were initially thought to be a subspecies of ''Pan troglodytes'', because of the physical similarities between the two species. Taxonomically, members of the chimpanzee/bonobo subtribe Panina—composed entirely by the genus ''Pan (genus), Pan''—are collectively termed ''panins''. Bonobos are distinguished from common chimpanzees by relatively long limbs, pinker lips, a darker face, a tail-tuft through adulthood, and parted, longer hair on their heads. Some individuals have sparser, thin hair over parts of their bodies. The bonobo is found in a area within the Congo Basin of the Democratic Republic of the Con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociology was coined in the late 18th century to describe the scientific study of society. Regarded as a part of both the social sciences and humanities, sociology uses various methods of Empirical research, empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order and social change. Sociological subject matter ranges from Microsociology, micro-level analyses of individual interaction and agency (sociology), agency to Macrosociology, macro-level analyses of social systems and social structure. Applied sociological research may be applied directly to social policy and welfare, whereas Theory, theoretical approaches may focus on the understanding of social processes and phenomenology (sociology), phenomenologic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daniel Bell
Daniel Bell (May 10, 1919 – January 25, 2011) was an American sociologist, writer, editor, and professor at Harvard University, best known for his contributions to the study of post-industrialism. He has been described as "one of the leading American intellectuals of the postwar era". His three best known works are '' The End of Ideology'' (1960), ''The Coming of Post-Industrial Society'' (1973), and ''The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism'' (1976). Biography Early life Daniel Bell was born in 1919 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. His parents, Benjamin and Anna Bolotsky, were Jewish immigrants, originally from Eastern Europe. They worked in the garment industry. His father died when he was eight months old, and he grew up poor, living with relatives along with his mother and his older brother Leo.Waters, Malcolm''Key Sociologists: Daniel Bell'' pp. 13–16 (Routledge 1996) () When he was 13 years old, the family's name was changed from Bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
