| The thesis of this dissertation is that it is impossible to ignore the role of behavior in the evolutionary history of the human species. At the turn of the last century, James Mark Baldwin presented his theory of Organic Selection, which explains how the behavior of the individual can favor the survival of a particular genetic variation in a population. This genetic variation can then spread through a given population allowing the principles of Darwinian natural selection to then operate.;In this dissertation, I will explore some of the evidence for the role of organic selection in the evolution of a number of physical and cultural/cognitive traits characteristic of human beings. I also want to consider the crucial fact of the interrelatedness of the evolutionary path of these traits. I expressly stress the view that it is this very interrelatedness in phylogenetic development which organic selection helps to explain. Finally, I will discuss the strengths and shortcomings of two very prominent contemporary linguists as they attempt to explain the evolution of our language capacity. |
