This paper presents the rules of science in general as the rules of social science and describes what makes a good theory in both science generally and social science specifically. We argue that good theory in science and social science can both explain and predict. Scientific theory at any level of analysis consists of deductively connected models of processes, and these processes and the entities they involve almost always are ideal types. Good scientific theory is always consistent with good theories (...) at lower levels of analysis. We also explain why evolutionary theory is a good theory for social science and provides the best possible model (or ideal type) of the individual. We note its consistency with science at a lower level of analysis (biology), its mathematical basis, and its ability to predict population trends (including those not predicted by other social science theory). Last, we argue that the use of evolutionary theory in social science should be supplemented with further work on ontogeny (developmental processes) and proximate mechanisms. (shrink)

Scholars using evolutionary theory in the social sciences (mostly outside of sociology) were the first to draw attention to inequalities in outcomes between children from single parent/other types of families and children from two biological parent families, and inequalities in outcomes between biological children and nonbiological children in families. There is now much evidence from sociology and other social science disciplines that outcomes on many metrics (including mortality, education, and adult income) are less favorable on average for children from single (...) parent/other types of homes than for children from two biological parent homes. Scholars using evolutionary theory were also first to note the increasing inequality in fertility between lower income and higher income individuals (particularly men) in rich world countries. In rich countries around the world, lower income men are more likely to remain single and childless. In many countries in recent birth cohorts, lower income women are also more likely to remain single, although women are less likely to remain childless than men. The ability of evolutionary theory to help explain and predict these growing inequalities is an important reason why sociologists should incorporate the use of evolutionary theory in sociology alongside the traditional sociological focus on more proximate mechanisms and determinants. (shrink)

Local economic institutions (systems of property rights and rules of land use) influenced the course of economic change in European history, as well as state formation and religious change. In this paper, I outline the theoretical implications of these regional effects. None of our existing macrolevel theories and explanations of the “rise of the West” can adequately incorporate them, so I present an alternative theory, based on rational choice premises. Yet the existence of these regional effects also highlights the deficiencies (...) of a rational choice theoretical approach. First, the approach is unable to explain historical contexts, institutional legacies, or the effects of timing, which were vital for outcomes of social change but that lie outside the model itself. Second, although it can be very useful, the model of the actor motivated by material self-interest often proved inadequate in historical situations. Solutions are suggested. (shrink)

Evolutionary theory predicts that social status and fertility will be positively related. It also predicts that the relationship between status and fertility will differ for men and women. This is particularly likely in modern societies given evidence that females face greater trade-offs between status and resource acquisition and fertility than males. This paper tests these hypotheses using newly released data from the 2014 wave of the Survey of Income and Program Participation by the US Census, which has the first complete (...) measures of fertility and number of childbearing partners for a large, representative, national probability sample of men and women and also contains comprehensive measures of economic status as measured by personal and family resources, including income from all sources and all assets. Multivariate analyses show that personal income is positively associated with total fertility and number of childbearing unions for men only. For men, personal net worth is positively associated with number of childbearing unions; it is also positively associated with fertility for married men with a spouse present. These findings support evolutionary predictions of a positive relationship between status, access to mates, and reproductive success for males. Whereas personal income and personal net worth are negatively associated with total fertility and number of childbearing unions for women, family income is positively associated with total fertility for women. For married men living with a spouse, family income is negatively associated with total fertility. These findings are consistent with evolutionary theory given the existence of greater trade-offs between production and reproduction for women in an advanced industrial society. For women and men, family net worth is negatively associated with number of childbearing unions and fertility. Implications are discussed. (shrink)

Because of an error in calculation of coefficients reported in the article “Sex Differences in the Association of Family and Personal Income and Wealth with Fertility in the United States”.

In this article, I show that principles from both evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology inform a model of the actor that is usually implicit in sociological research on the family and social stratification. Making this evolved actor model explicit can unify and explain existing empirical sociological findings in these areas, and suggest new hypotheses for future research. I suggest the same is true in many other areas of sociology as well, and that explicitly incorporating a fully developed evolved actor model (...) into sociology can both unify the discipline and reconnect it with the other life sciences. (shrink)