ABSTRACT
This chapter and the one that follows present the results of research that was inspired by taking an evolutionary theoretical ("sociobiological") view of the human animal. These two presentations made up the final session of the Social Science Research Council conference "Bio social Perspectives on Child Abuse/' and when it came our turn to speak, we were in a bit of a quandary. It was clear from discussions over the previous few days that several of the conference participants, although at least mildly interested in evolutionary ideas, also profoundly misunderstood them. The papers we had prepared were long on data and short on theory. We realized that we would have to reallocate some of our time, to at least try to clarify what sociobiology is, and (just as important) what it is not. The presentation provoked some discussion, and the editors suggested we incorporate our arguments here. Hence the discourse that forms the first part of this chapter.
