Over the last 150 years biology has been transformed by the adoption
of Darwinian evolutionary theory to such an extent that, as the
well-known geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky once put it, “nothing in
biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”. The extension of
Darwin’s insights to humans has been halting and controversial. This is
particularly the case for human cognition and behaviour. However, we
have now reached a point where the utility of such research can no
longer be denied. It is now clear that evolutionary theory can be
productively applied to many of the puzzles that scholars in the
humanities and social sciences have long sought to explain, such as
perception, thought and culture. Likewise, it has become increasingly
apparent that evolutionary theory can shed new light on important social
and health issues, including prejudice, interpersonal violence and
schizophrenia.
The purpose of the Human Evolutionary Studies Program (HESP)
is to create an internationally recognized research and training ‘hub’
that will simultaneously advance the integrated understanding of the
body, mind, behaviour and social institutions of
Homo sapiens within
the framework of evolutionary theory, and maximize the contribution of
SFU researchers to this important, dynamic and publicly visible field of
research. HESP will accomplish these goals by fostering collaborative
relationships among diverse SFU faculty, postdoctoral fellows and
graduate students, and between these individuals and researchers in
other institutions; by supporting novel, highly interdisciplinary
research projects; by providing students and postdoctoral fellows with
world-class training that transcends traditional disciplinary
boundaries; and by disseminating the results of its research to
academics in other fields, policymakers and the general public both
directly and through the media.
