Research on implicit person theories shows that people who believe that human attributes are immutable (“entity theorists”) are particularly prone to endorse social stereotypes and to explain them with reference to innate factors. We argue that entity theories belong to a broader set of beliefs that represent diVerences between people in terms of underlying essences. New measures of three essen...

In defense of anti-essentialism, pragmatist Richard Rorty holds that we may think all objects as if they were numbers. I find Rorty’s metaphysics hinges on two rather weak arguments against the essences contrast, Plato’s offers a plausible definition essentiality by which numbers do have essential properties. Further, argue argumentative mistake is mischaracterizing definition. conclude “essent...

A new study by Rhodes and colleagues offers insight into the development of social essentialism - the belief that members of social categories share essential properties (e.g., attitudes, psychological capacities). The challenge now is to consider these issues in children raised in the more diverse social environments that constitute the range of human experience.

OBJECTIVES Cultural variability (CV) is introduced as an overlooked dimension of cultural identity development pertaining to emphasizing and de-emphasizing the influence of a single cultural identity (i.e., cultural influence [CI]) on daily interactions and behaviors. The Cultural IDentity Influence Measure (CIDIM) is introduced as a novel measure of CI and CV, and hypothesis-driven validation ...

In recent years, far from arguing that evolutionary approaches to our own species permit us to describe the fundamental character of human nature, a prominent group of cultural evolutionary theorists has instead argued that the very idea of 'human nature' is one we should reject. It makes no sense, they argue, to speak of human nature in opposition to human culture. The very same sceptical argu...