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DCREATED:20130518T101253Z
DTSTART:20120430T230000Z
DTEND:20120501T010000Z
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SUMMARY:The sinister implications of evolved human diversity
DESCRIPTION;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:A Philosophy and Political Science research seminar presented by Patrick Whittle (Canterbury).=0D=0A=0D=0AAbstract:=0D=0AGiven my beetling brows and tendency to grunt, it is no surprise that I possibly have Neanderthal genes. But as an egalitarian perhaps I should be worried about, rather than amused by, the genetic evidence that my ancestors probably interbred with their now-extinct Neanderthal cousins.=0D=0AWhy so? =0D=0AAfter all, according to ethicist Peter Singer, leftists should simply use evolutionary theory to help identify and overcome potential obstacles to a more equal society =96 for example, in designing policies to tackle our evolved predispositions to form status hierarchies, or to channel our competitive tendencies in more socially beneficial ways.=0D=0A=93To be blind to the facts of human nature is to risk disaster=94, Singer argues in A Darwinian Left, and egalitarians must accept that =93we bear the evidence of our evolutionary inheritance, not only in our anatomy and our DNA, but in our behaviour too=94. =0D=0ABut therein lies my concern. =0D=0ASinger (who is a philosopher, not a geneticist or an anthropologist) is making an empirical claim about our evolved nature =96 a nature that it is evident, he believes, in our physical make-up and our behaviour too. =0D=0AHe suggests that, by accepting this claim, leftists will be better positioned to deal with evolved inclinations that may derail our egalitarian aspirations (e.g., the tendencies towards social domination that may explain why egalitarian revolutions are invariably betrayed by their leaders). =0D=0ALeftists, Singer claims, must now adopt a Darwinian approach to addressing political problems and social disparities. =0D=0AHowever, is not Singer also tending towards the very thinking that most taints the odious political history of Darwinism: the view that social inequalities (between classes, say, or men and women) can be explained in biological terms?=0D=0AAnd what should egalitarians make of recent research into ancestral human migrations, and the possible diversity arising from genetic drift, founder effects, adaptation to environment, or possible inter-breeding with locally occurring human sub-species (such as Neanderthals)? Will this scupper our dreams of a more equitable world?=0D=0ASinger argues that the left must take seriously the fact that we are evolved animals. He=92s gotta be joking, right? Come along and find out.=0D=0A=0D=0APlease check back on the Events Calendar on the day of the event to ensure the event is still being held. If the event has been cancelled, it will no longer appear.=0D=0A
LOCATION:Room 612, level 6, History building
CLASS:PUBLIC
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