abstract: 'We thank Moore (2026) and Geary (2026) for their thoughtful commentaries
  on Costello et al. (2026). Both agree on our core premise: that evolutionary psychology''s
  hypotheses are falsifiable. We hope this shared recognition can help finally dispel
  the mistaken claim that evolutionary psychology is inherently unfalsifiable. Moore
  rightly notes that ``falsifiability is a necessary but insufficient quality of a
  good scientific theory'''' (Moore, 2026, p. 29). We agree and note that evolutionary
  psychology exhibits many other hallmarks of good theory. It triangulates converging
  evidence for psychological adaptations that withstand empirical scrutiny across
  diverse contexts. It uncovers human universals and explains cross-cultural variation.
  It has powerful heuristic value, guiding researchers to novel domains of discovery.
  It helps make sense of otherwise anomalous findings. Contrary to Moore''s characterization
  of the field as ``narrow'''' (Moore, 2026, p. 29), one of evolutionary psychology''s
  greatest strengths is cross-disciplinary consilience: the ability to integrate the
  disparate subfields of the human behavioral sciences under the same overarching
  evolutionary theory that unifies all of the life sciences. If another metatheory
  for psychology exists that possesses these many theoretical strengths, it has not
  been made known to the scientific community (see Buss, 2020, for an overview of
  evolutionary psychology''s theoretical strengths). We focus here on evolutionary
  psychology''s heuristic value, before addressing Moore''s view that the ultimate
  evolutionary level of analysis is superfluous to developmental explanations. We
  end by highlighting the practical utility of the functional level of analysis for
  understanding both human biology and psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026
  APA, all rights reserved).'
authors:
- Costello, William
- Sedlacek, Anna G B
- Durkee, Patrick K
- Crosby, Courtney L
- Hahnel-Peeters, Rebecka K
- Buss, David M
doi: 10.1037/amp0001603
issn: 0003-066X,1935-990X
issue: '1'
journal: Am. Psychol.
language: en
lastmod: '2026-01-00'
pages: 33-35
path: /library/costello-2026b.html
pmid: '41609604'
published: '2026-01-00'
reference: Costello 2026b
title: 'Beyond falsifiability: Evolutionary psychology''s many theoretical strengths-Reply
  to Geary (2026) and Moore (2026)'
type: article
volume: '81'
year: 2026