ABSTRACT
DAVID J. BULLERl and VALERIE GRAY HARDCASTLE2 1 Department of Philosophy, Northern Illinois University; 2Science and Technology Studies Program / Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Department of Philosophy, Virginia Polytechnic and Siale University
Evolutionary psychologists I claim that the human mind is a network of distinct, yet interacting, psychological adaptations. Summarizing this view, Pinker says, "the mind is organized into modules or mental organs, each with a specialized design that makes it an expert in one arena of interaction with the world. The modules' basic logic is specified by our genetic program. Their operation was shaped by
We do not doubt that an adult human brain is at least partially modularized. However, in what follows, we contend that the brain is not modularized in the ways that evolutionary psychologists claim; we do not have lots of "genetically specified," domain-specific, informationally encapsulated, cognitive processing streams. To see why this is true, one must understand a bit about brain plasticity and development. But first a summary of evolutionary psychology's modular view of the mind.
