EDIT -- In reference to The Blank Slate: I read it awhile back, and while there are some stretches in his usage of evolution to explain every form of behavior,

EDIT -- In reference to The Blank Slate: I read it awhile back, and while there are some stretches in his usage of evolution to explain every form of behavior, e.g., people sat around fires for millenia therefore storytelling ability evolved, his explanations concerning adaptations for general survival utility are well supported. I would recommend reading it with a grain of salt, and take evolutionary psychology for what it is, with the same level of skepticism you would apply to get data from any social "science". EDIT--Some suggestive guideposts when reading in this field: http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/003817.html http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/003817.html http://itb.biologie.hu-berlin.de/~hagen/papers/Controversies.pdf http://itb.biologie.hu-berlin.de/~hagen/papers/Controversies... http://www.badscience.net/?p=518 http://www.badscience.net/?p=518 Be on the lookout for handwaving, but certainly investigate. Don't make it the only book you read in this area...