HAYEK AND MODERN EVOLUTIONARY THEORY

Paul Rubin and Evelyn Gick

A chapter in Evolutionary Psychology and Economic Theory, 2005, pp 79-100 from Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Abstract: Hayek was a firm believer in the effect of evolution on human behavior. This was a real advance since he wrote in a time when most social scientists believed in the “blank slate” (Pinker, 2002) and denied the influence of biology on human actions. Moreover, Hayek got the basic outline of the problem right. Most of human existence has been spent in small groups (25–250 members) and many of our tastes and preferences have evolved in that setting. These tastes and preferences are not always adapted for modern mass societies with market economies and extensive division of labor and exchange. However, evolutionary science and particularly its applications to human beings have advanced since Hayek wrote, and some of the details of his analysis are no longer consistent with current theories.

Date: 2005
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:aaeczz:s1529-2134(04)07005-x

DOI: 10.1016/S1529-2134(04)07005-X

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