How Conservative Are Evolutionary Anthropologists?

Abstract

The application of evolutionary theory to human behavior has elicited a variety of critiques, some of which charge that this approach expresses or encourages conservative or reactionary political agendas. In a survey of graduate students in psychology, Tybur, Miller, and Gangestad (Human Nature, 18, 313-328, 2007) found that the political attitudes of those who use an evolutionary approach did not differ from those of other psychology grad students. Here, we present results from a directed online survey of a broad sample of graduate students in anthropology that assays political views. We found that evolutionary anthropology graduate students were very liberal in their political beliefs, overwhelmingly voted for a liberal U.S. presidential candidate in the 2008 election, and identified with liberal political parties; in this, they were almost indistinguishable from non-evolutionary anthropology students. Our results contradict the view that evolutionary anthropologists hold conservative or reactionary political views. We discuss some possible reasons for the persistence of this view in terms of the sociology of science.

Whither the Blank Slate? A Report on the Reception of Evolutionary Biological Ideas among Sociological Theorists

“…See Sanderson (2001: 138, note 3) for discussion of the left-of-center politics of leading sociobiologists. Two surveys were carried out recently of evolutionary-oriented graduate students in psychology and anthropology (Tybur, Miller, and Gangestad 2007;Lyle and Smith 2012). The results show that evolutionary students are as liberal as their non-evolutionary cohorts.…”

The study of culture and evolution across disciplines

“…The case of evoked culture is a good example of a clear and explicit gene x environment interaction: genes specify possible behavioral reactions to different environmental inputs. And evolutionary psychologists and anthropologists are often just as liberal as non-evolutionary scholars in their political leanings (Lyle and Smith, 2012)not that this should matter for questions of science.…”

Conversations and Controversies in the Scientific Study of Religion

“…We're still coming to terms with how and why. Once again, the most convincing approach would be to systematically test whether or not there is a relationship between funding sources and the "appearance" or reality of influence (see Lyle & Smith 2012;Tyber et al 2007 for examples of testing soft claims about evolutionary scientists' alleged political conservatism). Demonstrating that there is such a relationship between funding agencies and research would be a substantive and healthy reality-check for our "collective enterprise."…”