This dissertation takes as its starting point some curious historical parallels in research on the heritability of alcoholism from opposite ends of the 20th century, and the underlying continuity in assumptions implicated by these parallels. Rather than review mainstream historical narratives on the origins of genetic research and alcoholism studies, I examine evidence and developments as yet unexplored by scholars. First I examine the origins of recent research models and diagnostic criteria that provide evidence for the hereditary nature of alcoholism. Then I consider the assumption of genetic determinism and its relationship to strategies of propaganda employed by the Eugenics movement early in the century. Using these historical "snapshots" I draw out conceptual and philosophical problems with the genetic explanation of alcoholism that continue to confront researchers today. These limitations suggest two possible avenues of resolution: either we develop finer-grained strategies for distinguishing social deviance from physical disorders, or we develop an integrated understanding of the complex interplay of human biological and cultural systems by extending the approach known as Developmental Systems Theory. In the conclusion, I explore these options and their potential ramifications for our understanding of alcoholism in hereditary and human contexts. / Ph. D.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:21:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vivian Catarina Dias.pdf: 16086007 bytes, checksum: 6a5f546b854fa268d7eb63cefb940bd8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-04 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Since childhood Charles Darwin showed an interest for the natural world. In his youth he developed that passion into an object of study travelling around the world onboard of The Beagle. The contact with unique species like the ones found in Galapagos Islands, the fossils discovered in South America, the experiences he lived and a extensive reseach during more than twenty years after his return to England made him think about a common link between the species, that lead him to publish The origin of species in 1859 and The expression of emotions in man and animals in 1872, along with other works and articles on the most diverse subjects, such as Diary of a naturalist around the world. In The origin of species he stated that the species are mutable and linked by the proccess of communion of ascendancy , fruits from the same tree of life. Forging the recreation of human history and its relocation in the natural world, the essays in The expression of emotions in man and animals widened the statement about the evolution of species pointing that humans share emotions and feelings with other species of animals. The implosion of the concept of human initiated with the darwinian facts opened new horizons for sciences such as anthropology to rethink the trajectory of the living beings and the borderlines between culture and animality. Notwithstanding, go beyond frontiers and enrich the critic, scientific, ethic and poetic repertoire is a really dificult task. Despite the relevance of the Darwinian Works, the contact with them is through indirect ways: cartoons, films and fiction, whose contents rarely approach the issue in all its depth / Desde a infância, Charles Darwin demonstrou interesse pelo mundo natural. Na juventude, transformou essa paixão em objeto de estudo viajando ao redor do mundo no navio Beagle. O contato com espécies únicas como as encontradas nas Ilhas Galápagos; os fósseis achados na América do Sul; as experiências adquiridas, e uma extensa pesquisa realizada por mais de vinte anos após o retorno à Inglaterra, levaram-no a pensar na filiação comum das espécies, desdobrando no lançamento de A origem das espécies (1859) e A expressão das emoções no homem e nos animais (1872), além de outras obras e artigos sobre os mais variados assuntos, como o Diário de um naturalista à volta do mundo. Em A origem das espécies, enunciou que as espécies são mutáveis e vinculadas pelo processo da comunhão de descendência , frutos da mesma árvore da vida. Forjando a recriação da história humana e sua realocação no mundo natural, os estudos de A expressão das emoções no homem e nos animais ampliaram o enunciado sobre a evolução das espécies, indicando que humanos compartilham emoções e sentimentos com outras espécies animais. A implosão do conceito de humano iniciada com os fatos darwinianos abriu outros horizontes para as ciências, incluindo a antropologia, repensarem a trajetória dos seres vivos e as fronteiras entre cultura e animalidade. Contudo, transpor limiares e enriquecer o repertório crítico, científico, ético, poético, mostra-se tarefa deveras espinhosa. Apesar da relevância das obras darwinianas, o contato com elas dá-se por vias indiretas: charges, filmes, ficção, cujos conteúdos, raramente, as abordam em todo seu alcance

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:55:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vivian Catarina Dias.pdf: 16086007 bytes, checksum: 6a5f546b854fa268d7eb63cefb940bd8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-04 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Since childhood Charles Darwin showed an interest for the natural world. In his youth he developed that passion into an object of study travelling around the world onboard of The Beagle. The contact with unique species like the ones found in Galapagos Islands, the fossils discovered in South America, the experiences he lived and a extensive reseach during more than twenty years after his return to England made him think about a common link between the species, that lead him to publish The origin of species in 1859 and The expression of emotions in man and animals in 1872, along with other works and articles on the most diverse subjects, such as Diary of a naturalist around the world. In The origin of species he stated that the species are mutable and linked by the proccess of communion of ascendancy , fruits from the same tree of life. Forging the recreation of human history and its relocation in the natural world, the essays in The expression of emotions in man and animals widened the statement about the evolution of species pointing that humans share emotions and feelings with other species of animals. The implosion of the concept of human initiated with the darwinian facts opened new horizons for sciences such as anthropology to rethink the trajectory of the living beings and the borderlines between culture and animality. Notwithstanding, go beyond frontiers and enrich the critic, scientific, ethic and poetic repertoire is a really dificult task. Despite the relevance of the Darwinian Works, the contact with them is through indirect ways: cartoons, films and fiction, whose contents rarely approach the issue in all its depth / Desde a infância, Charles Darwin demonstrou interesse pelo mundo natural. Na juventude, transformou essa paixão em objeto de estudo viajando ao redor do mundo no navio Beagle. O contato com espécies únicas como as encontradas nas Ilhas Galápagos; os fósseis achados na América do Sul; as experiências adquiridas, e uma extensa pesquisa realizada por mais de vinte anos após o retorno à Inglaterra, levaram-no a pensar na filiação comum das espécies, desdobrando no lançamento de A origem das espécies (1859) e A expressão das emoções no homem e nos animais (1872), além de outras obras e artigos sobre os mais variados assuntos, como o Diário de um naturalista à volta do mundo. Em A origem das espécies, enunciou que as espécies são mutáveis e vinculadas pelo processo da comunhão de descendência , frutos da mesma árvore da vida. Forjando a recriação da história humana e sua realocação no mundo natural, os estudos de A expressão das emoções no homem e nos animais ampliaram o enunciado sobre a evolução das espécies, indicando que humanos compartilham emoções e sentimentos com outras espécies animais. A implosão do conceito de humano iniciada com os fatos darwinianos abriu outros horizontes para as ciências, incluindo a antropologia, repensarem a trajetória dos seres vivos e as fronteiras entre cultura e animalidade. Contudo, transpor limiares e enriquecer o repertório crítico, científico, ético, poético, mostra-se tarefa deveras espinhosa. Apesar da relevância das obras darwinianas, o contato com elas dá-se por vias indiretas: charges, filmes, ficção, cujos conteúdos, raramente, as abordam em todo seu alcance

It is the contention of this thesis that the field of adaptation studies is struggling to emerge from a restrictive, outdated and static paradigmatic framework. It proposes that the field would benefit from widening its current frame of reference to include more input and perspectives from the evolutionary biological sciences. This thesis considers the implications for the study of culture of the Darwinian theory of evolution – how it might become a more integral part of how we understand culture generally, and of how we read specific texts. It attempts to re-contextualise adaptation studies within an ongoing, conceptual paradigm shift in Western culture, initiated by Darwin’s publication of his theory of evolution by natural selection. It contends that the Darwinian Revolution is far from complete within the humanities and that the time is ripe for greater consilience and exchange between the bio-sciences and humanities disciplines. This thesis explores the current state of adaptation studies as a discipline, referring in particular to recent work by adaptation theorists such as Robert Stam, Linda Hutcheon, Thomas Leitch and Julie Sanders and their efforts to reinvigorate and redirect adaptation studies. It considers how deeply ingrained, evaluative modes of thought could be holding back these efforts, and if an updated, mutable Darwinian paradigm could aid them. This thesis also speculates on the viability of an evolutionary unit of culture, the meme, and its possible relevance to adaptation studies and the wider study of culture. Finally, it applies a Darwinian perspective, on various levels, to an extensive, detailed textual analysis of the non-fiction book The Orchid Thief and the film Adaptation.

In this thesis, I explore moral intuition as an epistemological tool for constructing moral systems, focusing specifically on the challenges arising from evolutionary and cultural biases. This thesis will consider and discuss Michael Huemer's Ethical Intuitionism, Peter Singer's critique of moral intuitions, and Sharon Street's Darwinian Dilemma, I consider some possible defenses and counterarguments concerning the reliability of moral intuitions. Furthermore, this thesis examines the potential self-defeating nature of certain arguments against the reliability of moral intuitions, while concurrently discussing the broader implications of these criticisms on other areas of philosophy and the potential ramifications on our other cognitive faculties, such as logic and rationality. Alternative perspectives are briefly considered by presenting the approaches to morality of Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche. Marx's theory of historical materialism and Nietzsche's concept of Will to Power. Presenting their interpretations of moral evolution, these offer contrasts to the debate surrounding moral intuitions. Ultimately, this thesis proposes that we are either compelled to accept moral intuitions as a reliable epistemological tool to construct moral systems or embrace global skepticism because of the biases and limitations inherent in our cognitive faculties. I will explore what I propose is the paradoxical nature of moral intuitions as an epistemological tool and their role in our pursuit of moral truth.

Selon la théorie de la double hérédité, les processus de transmission sociale des connaissances permettraient aux cultures humaines d'évoluer de manière darwinienne. On parvient à cette conclusion en inférant que, étant donné qu'une analogie profonde peut être établie entre les mécanismes de transmission génétique et ceux de transmission sociale, on devrait non seulement concevoir que les processus cognitifs d'apprentissage social constituent bel et bien un système d'hérédité distinct du système d'hérédité génétique, mais qu’il est aussi légitime, sur la base de cette même analogie, de transférer les concepts explicatifs et outils formels issus de la biologie évolutionnaire et de les adapter à l'étude des cultures humaines en vue de constituer une théorie darwinienne de l'évolution culturelle. Cette analogie de l’hérédité culturelle fait depuis longtemps l'objet de controverses tant au sein de la littérature scientifique que dans les discussions philosophiques. On ne semble pas s'entendre sur la nature même de cette analogie ni non plus sur la force de justification épistémique qu'une telle analogie donnerait à la mise en place d'une théorie darwinienne de l'évolution culturelle. Néanmoins, à travers plus de quarante années de débats, la structure de cette analogie n'a jamais été examinée en détail et on a rarement examiné l'épistémologie des inférences par analogie dans un tel contexte. L'objectif principal de la présente thèse consistera à offrir une première analyse systématique de la nature, de la structure, de la fonction et de la justification épistémique de l'analogie de l'hérédité culturelle, fondement conceptuel de la théorie de la double hérédité. En portant ici une attention particulière à la structure logique de cette analogie, on pourra constater l'ampleur de sa complexité, complexité passant souvent inaperçue dans les critiques de la théorie de la double hérédité. On défendra ici la thèse selon laquelle l'analogie de l'hérédité culturelle est en fait composée de deux analogies constitutives qui, conjointement, ouvrent la voie à la mise en place et à l’organisation d’un programme de recherche visant à mettre au point une théorie darwinienne de l’évolution culturelle. / According to the dual-inheritance theory, processes of social transmission of ideas should allow human cultures to evolve in a Darwinian fashion. This conclusion is obtained by an explanatory inference according to which a profound analogy can be established between the cognitive processes of social learning and those of genetic transmission mechanisms. Not only should we understand social learning as a genuine cultural inheritance system, distinct although complementary to the genetic inheritance system, but, on the basis of the very same analogy, it would also be legitimate to transfer and adapt the theoretical concepts, explanatory formats and formal tools of evolutionary biology to the study of cultural dynamics so as to constitute a Darwinian theory of cultural evolution. The cultural inheritance analogy has been controversial since it was first suggested. A lack of consensus amongst scientists and philosophers about the proper meaning and epistemic reach of such an analogy has impeded the acceptance that human cultures might evolve. Nonetheless, through the forty years of controversy, the structure of the cultural inheritance analogy has never been systematically scrutinized and its relevance as an epistemic foundation for theory construction seldom examined. The main objective of this dissertation is to offer a first systematic analysis of the nature, structure, function and epistemic reach of the cultural inheritance analogy as the conceptual foundation of the dual-inheritance theory. By insisting on its logical structure, it is argued here that it is a complex analogy, the complexity of which is often misunderstood by the criticisms levelled against the dual-inheritance theory. It is argued here that the cultural inheritance analogy is in fact composed of two constitutive analogies that conjointly justify and organize a Darwinian research program of cultural evolution.

The core aim of this interdisciplinary research is to provide a critical analysis of the influence of Darwinism and Social Darwinism on a sample of modern Chinese writings. To achieve these aims, the researcher uses a range of both Chinese and English sources to explore their close affinities with Darwinism and Social Darwinism. Following this course, the research examines how Darwinian thought was introduced to the Chinese reading public in the late nineteenth century through a translation of Thomas Henry Huxley’s Evolution and Ethics by Yen Fu, and the subsequent impact of this work and Darwinian thought in general on seven literary and political figures: K'ang Yu-wei, Liang Qichao, Lu Xun, Hu Shih, Chen Duxiu, Sun Yat-sen and Mao Zedong. From an historical perspective, the Opium Wars and imperial invasions of China in the nineteenth century severely weakened the country’s political, economic, diplomatic, military, educational and cultural power. For these reasons and others, from 1840 to 1949, China experienced a tumultuous period of social and political transformation, which has eventually led to her revival in the twenty-first century. It will be seen that each of the literary figures examined here used evolutionary thought to justify revolution at various points on China’s long march to modernity. Progressive Darwinian ideas sharply contrasted with the old Confucian values upheld within Chinese communities. Nevertheless, the faults and weaknesses of Qing China awakened many pioneering revolutionaries who sought to reverse the status quo by initiating a series of radical reforms and revolutionary movements. Many within the Chinese intellectual elite looked to the tide of change and progress coming from the West, which they hoped might replace the recent historical stagnation and Confucian dogma embedded in Chinese culture and society. In this vein, many of these pioneering revolutionaries set about driving the historical transformation of China by selecting, translating and interpreting Darwinian ideas in their own writings. From Yen Fu in the nineteenth century to Mao Zedong in the twentieth century, evolutionary thought went hand in hand with China’s modernization.

Selon la théorie de la double hérédité, les processus de transmission sociale des connaissances permettraient aux cultures humaines d'évoluer de manière darwinienne. On parvient à cette conclusion en inférant que, étant donné qu'une analogie profonde peut être établie entre les mécanismes de transmission génétique et ceux de transmission sociale, on devrait non seulement concevoir que les processus cognitifs d'apprentissage social constituent bel et bien un système d'hérédité distinct du système d'hérédité génétique, mais qu’il est aussi légitime, sur la base de cette même analogie, de transférer les concepts explicatifs et outils formels issus de la biologie évolutionnaire et de les adapter à l'étude des cultures humaines en vue de constituer une théorie darwinienne de l'évolution culturelle. Cette analogie de l’hérédité culturelle fait depuis longtemps l'objet de controverses tant au sein de la littérature scientifique que dans les discussions philosophiques. On ne semble pas s'entendre sur la nature même de cette analogie ni non plus sur la force de justification épistémique qu'une telle analogie donnerait à la mise en place d'une théorie darwinienne de l'évolution culturelle. Néanmoins, à travers plus de quarante années de débats, la structure de cette analogie n'a jamais été examinée en détail et on a rarement examiné l'épistémologie des inférences par analogie dans un tel contexte. L'objectif principal de la présente thèse consistera à offrir une première analyse systématique de la nature, de la structure, de la fonction et de la justification épistémique de l'analogie de l'hérédité culturelle, fondement conceptuel de la théorie de la double hérédité. En portant ici une attention particulière à la structure logique de cette analogie, on pourra constater l'ampleur de sa complexité, complexité passant souvent inaperçue dans les critiques de la théorie de la double hérédité. On défendra ici la thèse selon laquelle l'analogie de l'hérédité culturelle est en fait composée de deux analogies constitutives qui, conjointement, ouvrent la voie à la mise en place et à l’organisation d’un programme de recherche visant à mettre au point une théorie darwinienne de l’évolution culturelle. / According to the dual-inheritance theory, processes of social transmission of ideas should allow human cultures to evolve in a Darwinian fashion. This conclusion is obtained by an explanatory inference according to which a profound analogy can be established between the cognitive processes of social learning and those of genetic transmission mechanisms. Not only should we understand social learning as a genuine cultural inheritance system, distinct although complementary to the genetic inheritance system, but, on the basis of the very same analogy, it would also be legitimate to transfer and adapt the theoretical concepts, explanatory formats and formal tools of evolutionary biology to the study of cultural dynamics so as to constitute a Darwinian theory of cultural evolution. The cultural inheritance analogy has been controversial since it was first suggested. A lack of consensus amongst scientists and philosophers about the proper meaning and epistemic reach of such an analogy has impeded the acceptance that human cultures might evolve. Nonetheless, through the forty years of controversy, the structure of the cultural inheritance analogy has never been systematically scrutinized and its relevance as an epistemic foundation for theory construction seldom examined. The main objective of this dissertation is to offer a first systematic analysis of the nature, structure, function and epistemic reach of the cultural inheritance analogy as the conceptual foundation of the dual-inheritance theory. By insisting on its logical structure, it is argued here that it is a complex analogy, the complexity of which is often misunderstood by the criticisms levelled against the dual-inheritance theory. It is argued here that the cultural inheritance analogy is in fact composed of two constitutive analogies that conjointly justify and organize a Darwinian research program of cultural evolution.

Dans le cadre d’explications darwiniennes, il est nécessaire de référer minimalement à deux niveaux d’organisation biologique, soit celui de l’individu et celui de la population. Dans ce mémoire, nous cherchons à fournir des outils pour distinguer ces deux niveaux et, du même coup, ces deux concepts. À la lumière des travaux de Millstein (2010b) et de la conception de l’individualité défendue par Hull (1978) et Ghiselin (1974), nous proposons un continuum de l’individualité pensé en termes d’intégration sur lequel se situent les individus et les populations. Les populations sont associées à un faible degré d’intégration alors que les individus présentent un degré d’intégration élevé. En adoptant la méthodologie des paramètres gradients de Godfrey-Smith (2009b), la distinction catégorique entre les deux concepts est repensée comme étant une distinction graduelle. Dans ce mémoire, nous explorons les fondements pragmatistes de cette méthode et argumentons pour son utilisation en philosophie de la biologie. / Darwinian explanations require the distinction between two levels of biological organisation, that of the individual and that of the population. This research aims at identifying tools to distinguish these two levels and the related concepts. Building on Millstein’s work concerned with the notion of population (2010b) and on the theory of individuality defended by Hull (1978) and Ghiselin (1974), we propose a continuum of individuality understood in terms of integration and on which figure both populations and individuals. The population concept is associated with a low degree of integration, while the notion of individuality refers to a high degree. Such a continuum of individuality relies on a specific philosophical standpoint associated with Godfrey-Smith’s gradient parameters methodology (2009b). Our research will explore the pragmatist foundations of this methodology in order to argue for its use in philosophy of biology.

O dilema do prisioneiro (DP) é um dos principais jogos da teoria dos jogos. No dilema do prisioneiro discreto (DPD), dois prisioneiros têm as opções de cooperar ou desertar. Um jogador cooperador não delata seu comparsa, já um desertor delata. Se um cooperar e o outro desertar, o cooperador fica preso por cinco anos e o desertor fica livre. Se ambos cooperarem, ficam presos por um ano e, se ambos desertarem, ficam presos por três anos. Quando o DP é repetido, a cooperação pode emergir entre agentes egoístas. Realizamos um estudo analítico para o DPD, que produziu uma formulação da evolução do nível médio de cooperação e da tentação crítica (valor de tentação que causa mudança abrupta do nível de cooperação). No dilema do prisioneiro contínuo (DPC), cada jogador apresenta um nível de cooperação que define o grau de cooperação. Utilizamos o DPC para estudar o efeito da personalidade dos jogadores sobre a emergência da cooperação. Para isso, propusemos novas estratégias: uma baseada na personalidade dos jogadores e outras duas baseadas na comparação entre o ganho obtido e a aspiração do jogador. Todas as estratégias apresentavam algum mecanismo de cópia do estado do vizinho com maior ganho na vizinhança, mecanismo este, herdado da estratégia darwiniana. Os resultados mostraram que o DPC aumenta o nível médio de cooperação do sistema, quando comparado ao DPD. No entanto, as diferentes estratégias não aumentaram a cooperação comparado à cooperação obtida com a estratégia darwiniana. Então propusemos o uso do coeficiente de agrupamentos, coeficiente de Gini e entropias de Shannon, Tsallis e Kullback-Leibler para classificar os sistemas, em que os agentes jogam o DPD com a estratégia darwiniana, quanto ao nível de cooperação. Como analisamos valores de médias configuracionais, tais classificadores não foram eficientes ao classificar os sistemas. Isso é consequência da existência de distribuições de extremos nos resultados que compõem as médias. As distribuições de extremos suscitaram uma discussão acerca da definição do regime de cooperação no dilema do prisioneiro. Discutimos também as consequências de utilizar apenas valores médios nos resultados ignorando seus desvios e as distribuições. / Prisoner\'s dilemma (PD) is one of the main games of game theory. In discrete prisoner\'s dilemma (DPD), two prisoners have the options to cooperate or to defect. A cooperator player does not defect his accomplice, while a defector does. If one player cooperates and the other defects, the cooperator gets jailed for five years and the defector goes free. If both cooperate, they get jailed during one year and if both defect, they get jailed during three years. When this game is repeated, cooperation may emerge among selfish individuals. We perform an analytical study for the DPD, that produced a formulation for the evolution of the mean cooperation level and for the critical temptation values (temptation values that promote abrupt modifications in the cooperation level). In continuous prisoner\'s dilemma (CPD), each player has a level of cooperation that defines his/her degree of cooperation. We used the CPD to study the effect of the players\' personality on the emergence of cooperation. For this, we propose new strategies: one based on the players\' personality and two others based on the comparison between the player\'s obtained payoff and the desire one. All strategies present some mechanism that copies the state of the neighbor with the highest payoff in the neighborhood, mechanism inherited from the Darwinian strategy. The results showed that the CPD increases the average cooperation level of the system when compared to DPD. However, different strategies do not increased the cooperation compared to cooperation obtained with the Darwinian strategy. So, we propose the use of cluster coefficient, Gini coefficient and entropy of Shannon, Tsallis and Kullback-Leibler as classifiers to classify systems, in which the individuals play DPD with Darwinian strategy, by the cooperation level. As configurational averages were analyzed, such classifiers were not efficient in classifying the systems. This is due to the existence of distributions with extreme values of the results that compose the means. Distributions with extremes values emerged a discussion about the definition of the cooperation state in the prisoner\'s dilemma. We also discussed the consequences of using only average results in the analysis ignoring their deviations and distributions.