Causation and Behavior: The Necessity and Benefits of Incorporating Evolutionary Thinking into Political Science

Abstract

Political science now recognizes that both biological and social factors are significant to the expression of political phenomena. While necessary, this development has significant theoretical and methodological consequences. The recognition of biological and social factors complicates, rather than simplifies, the study of political phenomena by requiring a more complex model of behavioral causation.Objective.To adapt to this complexity, political science must familiarize itself with the study of behavior in the life and evolutionary sciences and adopt a consilient behavioral model. Method.To assist with this development, this article familiarizes political scientists with the principles on causation as they relate to behavior. It also reviews the most common approaches to studying behavioral causation in the evolutionary sciences. Conclusion.The article discusses the practical benefits of incorporating evolutionary thinking into the study of politics, including the importance of evolutionary thinking for problems of omitted variable bias.

The reductionism of genopolitics in the context of the relationships between biology and political science

“…There are several reasons for the increased interest of political scientists in biological approaches. The most important seems to include: the high explanatory potential of life sciences research and its solid methodological basis (Mansell, 2020). Among the benefits that political science can gain from the effective application of the achievements of the life sciences are the integration of detailed theories by indicating ultimate explanatory mechanisms, the formation of theories with a good grounding in empirical material, the possibility of indicating the practical consequences of the theories, or the increase in the explanatory potential of the theories.…”