ABSTRACT
A lthough no consensus exists on what Darwin's view of life can contribute to the study of human affairs, one school of thoughtthe subject of this critique-has become prominent. I'll refer to the school as "Darwinian anthropology" and use the abbreviation
DA to mean both "Darwinian anthropology" and "Darwinian anthropologist." DA's central hypothesis is that "evolved behavioral tendencies" cause human "behavior to assume the form that maximizes inclusive fitness" (Irons 1979, p. 33). Turke and Betzig (1985) state this hypothesis as a formal prediction: "Modern Darwinian theory predicts that human be-
havior will be adaptive, that is, designed to promote maximum reproductive success (RS) through available descendent and nondescendent relatives" (p. 79). (For examples of DA, see Chagnon and Irons, 1979, and Betzig et al. 1987).
