The constant development of new technologies, natural sciences, and ideological factors causes a change in perceptions of the human body’s model and the impact of social processes on the behavior of the individual. Over time, technological analogies have evolved from Descartes’ mechanical philosophy to the metaphor of the programmed organism that separates mental and physical processes. Whereas in the light of the natural sciences, social interaction and human behavior are explained as a manifestation of inherent biological features. However, despite undeniable progress in technological development and evolutionary psychology, certain aspects of social behavior are still waiting for a scientific explanation.
For example, today’s most relevant technological analogy of the human body is the program model, which can be applied mostly at the genetic level. However, it fails to substantiate the interaction of physiological and psychological processes in the human body due to complex and inconsistent responses to the same environmental signals. Moreover, programs do not determine the mechanism of response to external factors, since computers process only the input parameters. Accordingly, the assumption of a programmed person is a priori incorrect because the human brain is not standardized and processes information based on those signals that are neglected by conventional programs.
On the other hand, the natural sciences use the theory of evolutionary development, which recognizes natural selection as a fundamental principle of the emergence of adaptive behaviors. However, Lewontin and Levins (2007) argued that the constant efforts of scientists to link social Darwinism to various spheres of human functioning are intended only to legitimize evolutionary biology itself. Moreover, the behavioral nature of humans is also explained by certain discoveries in neurobiology. However, the impact of social life on human physiology still requires further research in the social sciences.
Reference
Lewontin, R. C., & Levins, R. (2007). Biology Under the Influence: Dialectical Essays on the Coevolution of Nature and Society. NYU Press.