Evolutionary Psychology is descriptive and not prescriptive

Lately, I have tackled the idea that evolutionary psychology is somehow unscientific or some form of modern day determinism. I have also been pointing out how some Objectivists seem to be running away from the truth and reality when it comes to the subject of how much of human nature is baked into us. Not all, but, definitely way too many people whom take Objectivism for their personal philosophical outlook also run from the reality of the Sociobiological aspect of our human nature.
This is because they think it derails the idea that we can be a rational or irrational person based on self-regulation.

However, there is nothing in accepting the evolutionary psychology aspect of human nature that says we have no reason or we cannot be a rational animal through forms of self-regulation or "free will." Just because we have way more baked into us than Ms. Rand thought due to how long ago she lived when it comes to matters of human psychology does not make reason not real. Evolutionary Psychology or Sociobiology does not say anything about us not being able to be rational or basing our choices on reason over faith or the lack of "will." It does say we have a greater proportion of our desires, tendencies and traits from a mix between various forms of biology and our environment based on our nature.

This does not say anything about us not having any sense of free will or self-regulation. Nor does it say we do not have the ability to work, work, work on our self-regulation of our mind to better take control of our reason. It does not say we cannot be a rational animal, that we have no reason and that we should follow anything in particular that is baked into us. Objectivism is a moral/ethical code, metaphysics, epistemology, politics and aesthetics. Evolutionary Psychology simply says evolutionary caused desires and more expansive amounts of our traits is true. It does not say we do not have reason or should not use it over our "evolved instincts and drives."

Nowhere in evolutionary psychology does any sociobiologist ever say we are not living beings that act to gain and keep values. In fact, quite the opposite it shows we do based on our human nature very much acquire through a mixture of biology, environment, and our ideas values which we live to fulfill. Humans like all animals do have needs and desires. We obviously do act to gain and keep those values. This is part of our human nature in which Sociobiology is completely agreeing with Objectivism on human nature in fact. It is not either pro or anti Objectivism though in nature; it just so happens it agrees with this Objectivism statement about human nature.

The fact that a lot of our values; our desires are part of our human nature and baked into us does not change the fact that we have them and work to gain or keep them. However, this is really beyond the point because Sociobiology or Evolutionary Psychology is descriptive it is not prescriptive. It does not tell you how you should or anyone else should live. It tells you nothing about what broader things you should believe about the Universe or existence. It does not touch on broader principles that philosophy talks about. It does not tell you how you obtain knowledge, anything else about the nature of the Universe, what ethics or morals you should act within and definitely does not prescribe any certain political system.

Nor does it tell you if acting on your longer term evolved psychology is good for the agent it evolved in within a new environment which it did not evolve in. The fact that one evolved a sex drive which might be different between the sexes does not say that men should act on their sex drive simply because they are horny. If one literally thinks you should only act on baked on instincts they would need to argue rape is OK because there was a built in drive for power or spreading your seed being acted on in the agent. Quite the opposite, some instincts and drives are destructive for all involved the agent and those the agent is acting on in complying with those drives.

Something being a gut feeling does not make it in accordance with reality and thus "rational." Many times to act in ones self-interest long term requires not acting on irrational drives based in our biological history. Evolutionary Psychology being true can make us realize what "tendencies" in our nature we should work to "not listen to" when doing so would be to not be living in the world as it is now. Our psychology evolved in a different time and a different place. Just because something is baked in does not make it good at all. Sociobiology or Evolutionary Psychology is descriptive of what is baked in, why we had it in the past and where it came from. It is not prescribing we have no way of regulating our instincts to make us more able to be a rational animal. Nor that reason is impotent at all.

Objectivism, Evolution, and Ethics W/Ed Hudgins

Ed Hudgins offers in this talk a detailed examination of the attempts by the new secularists and atheists to address the fundamental questions of ethics and morality from an evolutionary and based on insights into human evolution and neuroscience. he discusses how thinkers like Dawkins, Dennett, and Shermer have wrestled with these issues and analyze where they've succeeded and where they've failed to establish a rational foundation for ethics. Then he shows how Objectivist meta-ethics is both consistent with the core of their discoveries and, indeed, necessitated by their understanding of science and the role of reason.

"Question and Answer Panel" with Onkar Ghate and Gregory Salmieri

Onkar Ghate and Gregory Salmieri answer follow-up questions based on the preceding lectures.

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"Politics, Liberty and Objectivism" (Part 2 of 2) by Onkar Ghate

"Politics, Liberty and Objectivism" (Part 2 of 2)

It’s more difficult than most people realize to properly conceptualize and understand different political views, terms, theories and groups. For instance, are socialism and fascism opposites? Do the terms “left” and “right” as used today in the U.S. define a political spectrum? What do liberalism, conservatism and libertarianism refer to? This talk summarizes some of the important questions to answer to form genuine political principles, and summarizes Objectivism’s own distinct approach to political philosophy.

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"Politics, Liberty and Objectivism" (Part 1 of 2) by Gregory Salmieri

"Politics, Liberty and Objectivism" 

It’s more difficult than most people realize to properly conceptualize and understand different political views, terms, theories and groups. For instance, are socialism and fascism opposites? Do the terms “left” and “right” as used today in the U.S. define a political spectrum? What do liberalism, conservatism and libertarianism refer to? This talk summarizes some of the important questions to answer to form genuine political principles, and summarizes Objectivism’s own distinct approach to political philosophy.

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ABOUT THE AYN RAND INSTITUTE
ARI offers educational experiences, based on Ayn Rand's books and ideas, to a variety of audiences, including students, educators, policymakers and lifelong learners. ARI also engages in research and advocacy efforts, applying Rand's ideas to current issues and seeking to promote her philosophical principles of reason, rational self-interest and laissez-faire capitalism. We invite you to explore how Ayn Rand viewed the world — and to consider the distinctive insights offered by ARI's experts today.

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"Government: Who Needs It" by Gregory Salmieri

"Government: Who Needs It"

This talk explores why Rand thinks that government is necessary to protect individual rights, and why this is its only proper function.

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"Individual Rights: The Bridge Between Morality and Politics" by Onkar Ghate

"Individual Rights: The Bridge Between Morality and Politics"

The principle of “individual rights” forms a bridge between Rand’s moral theory and her political philosophy. If implemented as the basic principle of social organization, it enables us to subordinate might to right and to interact exclusively in voluntary relationships.

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Freedom and Flourishing as a Matter of Science W/Craig Biddle @ TOS-CON 2018

Objectivism is no excuse for dehumanization

This evening I watched a lecture on Objectivism from Gregory Salmieri named, "The Distinctly Human Form of Life." It was overall a good introduction to Objectivism, but, it was filled with allusions to things that I found downright disturbing to say the least. It was not Objectivism or anything Ms/Mrs. Rand said that was disturbing to me. It was the wording used to describe what a "human life was."

While I find myself agreeing that we need to use our Reason as a means of survival and all of the actual philosophical stuff. I disagreed highly with the idea that human's have so little baked into our natures as humans. We have a lot baked into us; including our means of survival Reason itself. We also have Evolved and baked into us that which we call Free Will as well it is an evolved trait. In addition, we have Ultimate Goals or Values very much baked into us as well.

Our species; both of the sexes is evolved to put their genitals in the other and spread their seed. This is a baked in value or goal to procreate. Some of us go a different direction which is how you get the Gay and Lesbians, but, that does not negate the baked in reaction of sexual activity. We also can see baked in differences in the sexes on other fronts too. Most of them around males being more thing oriented at birth and females more social oriented. This does not mean we are born with innate knowledge or innate ideas as such. In this way Gregory is right that we are a Blank Slate in the sense that one does not come out of the womb with the knowledge to understand anything whether innate or not.

However, to argue as he does that basically all we have baked into us is things like a pleasure and pain mechanism nothing else is absurd beyond belief. It is a total denial of any of the science we actually have about human nature. On top of this near the end his lecture becomes dark when asked about suicide from an audience member in the audience. He dehumanizes anyone that might be having issues of any kind that effect their thinking mechanisms. By saying that to live not as a Rational Animal every second of the day and if one ever is overwhelmed by their other mechanisms like emotion this is a "living death." Apparently this includes not having a career or being chronically single.

So, do all the single men and women need to go off and hang themselves if they cannot find a suitable partner? Should all of the people in between jobs due to issues outside of their control just find a gun or a knife and off themselves this instant, so, they are no longer in such a non-human condition? Should all Non-Atheists just go on a Mass Suicide and drink their own poisoned Kool-Aid for the sake of all of the Rational and Truly human animals on this planet? Should any man or woman that has bedded someone due to their hormones being totally overwhelming go jump off the nearest bridge right now?

Gregory. I agree that to live at all times and in all instances as the most Rational Animal that is possible within the type of brain you have at the given time is the morally proper thing. I also agree that Reason and being Rational is our means of survival. Evolutionary Psychology is correct, but, so, is the idea that our psychology as evolved is not necessarily suited for making the best life possible for us in the modern environment. I actually agreed with about 95% of the lecture, but, what kept coming back to me was the wording being used. As well as the idea that we have nothing baked into us.

Gregory; please stop using such dehumanizing language for people that either have issues or just whom do not understand the importance of Reason due to their ignorance. Not everyone that is a Whim Worshiper or Emotionalist is evil. Most them are just ignorant and even if they are highly ignorant living according to immoral ideas they do not deserve to suicide themselves. Most people are not philosophically grounded on this Earth. This does not mean they are not human nor that they should off themselves from their "living death." Even people immoral according to our philosophy as opposed to ignorant are not deserving of a self created end to their lives.

Taking Objectivism seriously is not an excuse to call people that are not living according to our philosophy not living a human life. They very much are human just like you and me. They do not deserve to be dehumanized and treated like they are of less value just because they and us might disagree on philosophical matters. Objectivism is not a dogma and it is not a cult. It is to use reality as its arbiter and reality shows homo-sapeins are humans even if they are living on nothing, but, their emotions as immoral and irrational as that would be it does not remove them from being human qua human.

Yaron Brook | Is Jordan Peterson Right or Wrong?

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Trying to find help that is not at odds with reality is hard work because of the corruption of self-help.

Recently I started trying to find some self-help methods to deal with my anxiety/depression/PSTD issues stemming from my past trauma including my assaults. One of things I have been looking into is Positive Thinking exercises. As well as reasonable thinking exercises as well. However, to my chagrin the positive thinking you find online appears to not be the sort of mental work done by legitimate practitioners such as CBT therapists. Instead you will find metaphysically and epistemologically destructive New-Age Woo Woo Fluff bullshit that does not ever taken into account Reason or the existence of an outside world.

Some of it was fine, but, then you run across things that are not factual. For example nothing in life has "infinite" possibility. I have tremendous possibility, but, within the bounds of actual external reality. This would be both a positive affirmation, but, also take into account that reality exists and I will not always get what I want. That reality and life does not bend to my wants or needs it is what it is and depending on various factors both in my control and outside of it I could not get what I want in the end. The idea that some how optimism and positive thinking is somehow outside the realm of Reason is a metaphysical monstrosity of the highest order.

Do I want help with my self-esteem, my confidence and stopping the bad thinking? Yes, but, what I do not need is to be brainwashed into a New Age Mindset that is totally delusional. No one needs to be conditioned into believing they are somehow the center of the Universe. This is if anything going to make people into delusional narcissists that think they are king or queen shit. It is as Penn and Teller's Bullshit called it self-helpless and not self-help. People need to seek out actually recognized and legitimately science backed psychology or psychiatry and should stay away from this Woo Woo Fluff or your means of knowledge will be slowly destroyed.

Yaron's History Lesson - The Corporation, Part 3 of 3 (Audio Only)

The public corporation is under attack in America today. The regulatory burden is ever increasing: boards and CEOs are constantly harassed over wide-ranging issues from CEO pay to options "backdating," and the media continues to portray corporate America as a cesspool of corruption. The expenses and risks of being a public corporation are now so great that an unprecedented number of companies are choosing to "go private."

In this course, Dr. Brook discusses the history and economics behind the rise of the modern corporation, explaining how this form of business organization made possible new heights of wealth creation. He explains why the corporation, despite its productive virtues, has been attacked as illegitimate and immoral since its inception. Finally, he discusses the popular paradigm of "corporate social responsibility" and contrasts it with the proper corporate goal of shareholder wealth maximization.

This course was recorded at the 2007 Objectivist Summer Conference in Telluride, CO.

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