Illusory Riches

Abstract It is well known that human nature is the product of evolution. Yet very little is known about the specific evolutionary pathways that led to humans being the way they are. In most cases, this will never be known. This is because the sources of evidence normally used to reconstruct evolutionary history are generally unavailable for studying the evolutionary dynamics that produced the unique behavioral and psychological characteristics of humans. This unfortunate fact becomes readily apparent by looking at how scientists study and achieve knowledge of evolutionary history. Evolutionary Psychology’s claims about our evolutionary past generally do not rise to this standard. They never will.