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John Locke publishes "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding"
establishes "blank slate" / tabula rasa theory; humans are born a "blank slate", but are changed by experience -
Darwin publishes "Origin of Species"
establishes evolutionary biology, which later leads to sociobiology -
Francis Galton publishes "English Men of Science: Their Nature and Nurture"
Galton founds "eugenics"; on the "nature" side -
John B. Watson becomes a prominent behavioral psychologist
Watson's experiments are behavioral, leaning entirely on the "nurture" side (example: the "Little Albert" experiment) -
George C. Williams publishes "Adaptation and Natural Selection: A Critique of Some Current Evolutionary Thought"
introduces the gene-centered view of evolution -
E.O. Wilson publishes "Sociobiology"
Kicks off debate between Wilson and Gould/Lewontin; popularizes the term "sociobiology" -
Richard Dawkins publishes "The Selfish Gene"
a continuation of George C. William's ideas; popularized gene-centered evolution -
Stephen Jay Gould publishes "Biological Potentiality vs Biological Determinism"
published in direct response to "Sociobiology"; criticizes the application of sociobiology to humans, and reframes the debate (potentialism vs determinism) -
E.O. Wilson publishes "On Human Nature"
a "sequel" to "Sociobiology"; expands on theories of sociobiology -
Lewontin, Rose & Kamin publish "Not In Our Genes: Biology, Ideology and Human Nature"
criticizes genetic determinism and sociobiology; based in Marxist theory -
Judith Rich Harris publishes "The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do"
backed by Pinker; personality is not entirely determined by upbringing, and parental influence is not as influential as peer influence -
Stephen Pinker publishes "The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature"
Pinker argues against the "blank slate"