Dark Matter of the Mind

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Is it in our nature to be altruistic or evil, to create art, use tools, or develop language? Daniel L. Everett argues that human nature, as commonly understood, does not exist. He challenges major trends in Evolutionary Psychology, asserting that humans are hardwired only for freedom: freedom from evolutionary instincts and the ability to adapt to diverse environments and cultures. Through years of field research with the Pirahã people of the Amazon, Everett scrutinizes various cognitive theories, including Noam Chomsky's universal grammar, Freud's unconscious forces, and the concept of psychic unity by Adolf Bastian, as well as ideas from evolutionary psychologists like Leda Cosmides and Steven Pinker. By examining the unique features of the Pirahã language, he illustrates how culture shapes thought and highlights its role in cognitive flexibility. He proposes a view of the cultural self as a collection of experiences linked by memories, values, knowledge, and social roles, rather than biological instincts. This perspective reveals the "dark matter of the mind" and suggests that our greatest evolutionary adaptation is our capacity for adaptability itself.