ABSTRACT
I have argued in my previous studies (see Vanhanen 1979, 1984, 1990, 1997) that it is possible to derive a common theoretical explanation for democratization from the evolved behavioral characteristics of human nature. My argument is based on the assumption that there must be regularities in human political behavior because all members of a species share the same evolved species-specific behavioral predispositions or epigenetic rules. However, many readers of my studies have found it difficult to understand or accept such a theory of democratization based on evolutionary argumentation, although they may accept, at least partly, the relevance of the empirical variables which have been used to test the theory and to explain the variation in democratization. In this chapter, I try to explain why evolved common characteristics of human nature are needed in the study of democratization and how a theory of democratization can be derived from them.
