Challenging neuroscience and evolutionary explanations of social and psychological processes

In order to provide the context for this special issue of Contemporary Social Science, a brief reviewof the biological and evolutionary explanations of psychological and socio-cultural phenomena is presented. This distinguishes five separate aspects of whatmay be characterised as 'biologising' the social sciences: Darwinian theories, neuroscience explanations, genetic causation, pharmacological and hormonal causes, and the less fundamentalist use of evolutionary ideas as analogies or metaphors. The remarkable range of phenomena that these biologically oriented perspectives try to address is cause for some scepticism and concern, forming the basis for an overview of the growing groundswell of arguments that challenge attempts at biologising the social sciences. At the heart of these challenges is the recognition that human beings can talk and interact with each other, generating cultures and societies that have an existence that cannot be reduced to their mere mechanical parts.