Is there any evidence to support people’s beliefs about what “traditional families” or “family values” should be? This course looks at what human biology, evolution and anthropology say about the history of families and why ideas about family are changing. It’s likely that our ancestors began living in family groups well over a million years ago. They evolved family behavior to cope with the problem of raising slow-growing children who need a lot of care and support. There is no perfect solution so there are no “traditional family values.” Over millennia, our ancestors developed many different beliefs and customs, as each culture adapted to the unique challenges it faced. How might an evidence- and theory-based approach help inform the political debate about families?
Suggested reading: A Story of Us: A New Look at Human Evolution by Lesley Newson & Peter Richerson (Oxford University Press 2021)