Cultural Selection

Download Cultural Selection PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9401592519
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (15 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Cultural Selection by : A. Fog

Download or read book Cultural Selection written by A. Fog and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1. INTRODUCTION This book describes a new interdisciplinary theory for explaining cultural change. In contrast to traditional evolutionist theories, the present theory stresses the fact that a culture can evolve in different directions depending on its life conditions. Cultural selection theory explains why certain cultures or cultural ele ments spread, possibly at the expense of other cultures or cultural elements which then disappear. Cultural elements include social structure, traditions, religion, rituals, art, norms, morals, ideologies, ideas, inventions, knowledge, technology, etc. This theory is inspired by Charles Darwin's idea of natural selection, because cultural elements are seen as analogous to genes in the sense that they may be reproduced from generation to generation and they may undergo change. A culture may evolve because certain cultural elements are more likely to spread and be reproduced than others, analogously to a species evolving because individuals possessing certain traits are more fit than others to reproduce and transmit these traits to their offspring.

Cultural Selection

Download Cultural Selection PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.X/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Cultural Selection by : Gary Taylor

Download or read book Cultural Selection written by Gary Taylor and published by . This book was released on 1996-04-04 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is worth remembering? What gets passed down from one generation to another? What does it mean to be human? Culture, Gary Taylor argues, is not what was done but what is remembered, and the social competition among different memories is as dynamically complicated as the struggle for biological survival. That struggle for culture - driven by emotions as basic as grief, pride, and resentment - is the foundation of personal and national identity. Taylor illustrates his arguments by reintroducing us to imaginative achievements that continue to stimulate us long after their creation, from Stonehenge to Hollywood - including Oedipus, Casablanca, the paintings of Velazquez, Michelangelo's sculptures, Japanese literature, Native American narratives, science fiction, the music of Stravinsky, Shakespeare's plays, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He also discusses the endurance of social phenomena as disparate as the global impact of the Old Testament and the evolving reputation of Richard Nixon.

Psychological Selection and Optimal Experience Across Cultures

Download Psychological Selection and Optimal Experience Across Cultures PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9048198763
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (481 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Psychological Selection and Optimal Experience Across Cultures by : Antonella Delle Fave

Download or read book Psychological Selection and Optimal Experience Across Cultures written by Antonella Delle Fave and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-02-02 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does Western science know about the relationship between individual well-being and cultural trends? What can learn from other cultural traditions? What do the recent advancements in positive psychology teach us on this issue, particularly the eudaimonic framework, which emphasizes the connections between personal well-being and social welfare? People grow and live in cultures that deeply influence their values, aspirations and behaviors. However, individuals in their turn play an active role in building their own goals, growth trajectories and social roles, at the same time influencing culture trends. This process, defined psychological selection, is related to the individual pursuit of well-being People preferentially select and cultivate in their lives activities, interests, and relationships associated with optimal experience, a state of deep engagement, concentration, and enjoyment. Several cross-cultural studies confirmed the positive and rewarding features of optimal experience. Based on these evidences, this book offers a new perspective in the study of human behavior. Highlighting the interplay between individual and cultural growth trajectories, it conveys a core message: educating people to enjoy engagement and involvement in activities that can be relevant and meaningful for social welfare is a premise to foster the harmonious development of human communities, and the peaceful cohabitation of cultures.

Culture and the Evolutionary Process

Download Culture and the Evolutionary Process PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226069338
Total Pages : 339 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (26 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Culture and the Evolutionary Process by : Robert Boyd

Download or read book Culture and the Evolutionary Process written by Robert Boyd and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1988-06-15 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do biological, psychological, sociological, and cultural factors combine to change societies over the long run? Boyd and Richerson explore how genetic and cultural factors interact, under the influence of evolutionary forces, to produce the diversity we see in human cultures. Using methods developed by population biologists, they propose a theory of cultural evolution that is an original and fair-minded alternative to the sociobiology debate.

Cultural Evolution

Download Cultural Evolution PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 026255190X
Total Pages : 499 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (625 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Cultural Evolution by : Peter J. Richerson

Download or read book Cultural Evolution written by Peter J. Richerson and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2024-04-30 with total page 499 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading scholars report on current research that demonstrates the central role of cultural evolution in explaining human behavior. Over the past few decades, a growing body of research has emerged from a variety of disciplines to highlight the importance of cultural evolution in understanding human behavior. Wider application of these insights, however, has been hampered by traditional disciplinary boundaries. To remedy this, in this volume leading researchers from theoretical biology, developmental and cognitive psychology, linguistics, anthropology, sociology, religious studies, history, and economics come together to explore the central role of cultural evolution in different aspects of human endeavor. The contributors take as their guiding principle the idea that cultural evolution can provide an important integrating function across the various disciplines of the human sciences, as organic evolution does for biology. The benefits of adopting a cultural evolutionary perspective are demonstrated by contributions on social systems, technology, language, and religion. Topics covered include enforcement of norms in human groups, the neuroscience of technology, language diversity, and prosociality and religion. The contributors evaluate current research on cultural evolution and consider its broader theoretical and practical implications, synthesizing past and ongoing work and sketching a roadmap for future cross-disciplinary efforts. Contributors Quentin D. Atkinson, Andrea Baronchelli, Robert Boyd, Briggs Buchanan, Joseph Bulbulia, Morten H. Christiansen, Emma Cohen, William Croft, Michael Cysouw, Dan Dediu, Nicholas Evans, Emma Flynn, Pieter François, Simon Garrod, Armin W. Geertz, Herbert Gintis, Russell D. Gray, Simon J. Greenhill, Daniel B. M. Haun, Joseph Henrich, Daniel J. Hruschka, Marco A. Janssen, Fiona M. Jordan, Anne Kandler, James A. Kitts, Kevin N. Laland, Laurent Lehmann, Stephen C. Levinson, Elena Lieven, Sarah Mathew, Robert N. McCauley, Alex Mesoudi, Ara Norenzayan, Harriet Over, Jürgen Renn, Victoria Reyes-García, Peter J. Richerson, Stephen Shennan, Edward G. Slingerland, Dietrich Stout, Claudio Tennie, Peter Turchin, Carel van Schaik, Matthijs Van Veelen, Harvey Whitehouse, Thomas Widlok, Polly Wiessner, David Sloan Wilson

Wired for Culture: Origins of the Human Social Mind

Download Wired for Culture: Origins of the Human Social Mind PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393065871
Total Pages : 431 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Wired for Culture: Origins of the Human Social Mind by : Mark Pagel

Download or read book Wired for Culture: Origins of the Human Social Mind written by Mark Pagel and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2012-02-07 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating, far-reaching study of how our species' innate capacity for culture altered the course of our social and evolutionary history. A unique trait of the human species is that our personalities, lifestyles, and worldviews are shaped by an accident of birth—namely, the culture into which we are born. It is our cultures and not our genes that determine which foods we eat, which languages we speak, which people we love and marry, and which people we kill in war. But how did our species develop a mind that is hardwired for culture—and why? Evolutionary biologist Mark Pagel tracks this intriguing question through the last 80,000 years of human evolution, revealing how an innate propensity to contribute and conform to the culture of our birth not only enabled human survival and progress in the past but also continues to influence our behavior today. Shedding light on our species’ defining attributes—from art, morality, and altruism to self-interest, deception, and prejudice—Wired for Culture offers surprising new insights into what it means to be human.

Cultural Transmission and Evolution (MPB-16), Volume 16

Download Cultural Transmission and Evolution (MPB-16), Volume 16 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691209359
Total Pages : 406 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Cultural Transmission and Evolution (MPB-16), Volume 16 by : L L Cavalli-sforza

Download or read book Cultural Transmission and Evolution (MPB-16), Volume 16 written by L L Cavalli-sforza and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-31 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A number of scholars have found that concepts such as mutation, selection, and random drift, which emerged from the theory of biological evolution, may also explain evolutionary phenomena in other disciplines as well. Drawing on these concepts, Professors Cavalli-Sforza and Feldman classify and systematize the various modes of transmitting "culture" and explore their consequences for cultural evolution. In the process, they develop a mathematical theory of the non-genetic transmission of cultural traits that provides a framework for future investigations in quantitative social and anthropological science. The authors use quantitative models that incorporate the various modes of transmission (for example, parent-child, peer-peer, and teacher-student), and evaluate data from sociology, archaeology, and epidemiology in terms of the models. They show that the various modes of transmission in conjunction with cultural and natural selection produce various rates of cultural evolution and various degrees of diversity within and between groups. The same framework can be used for explaining phenomena as apparently unrelated as linguistics, epidemics, social values and customs, and diffusion of innovations. The authors conclude that cultural transmission is an essential factor in the study of cultural change.

Selections from Cultural Writings

Download Selections from Cultural Writings PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781608461363
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (613 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Selections from Cultural Writings by : Antonio Gramsci

Download or read book Selections from Cultural Writings written by Antonio Gramsci and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most comprehensive collection of Antonio Gramsci's writings on the relationship between culture and politics available in the English language.

Genetic and Cultural Evolution of Cooperation

Download Genetic and Cultural Evolution of Cooperation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 9780262083263
Total Pages : 516 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (832 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Genetic and Cultural Evolution of Cooperation by : Peter Hammerstein

Download or read book Genetic and Cultural Evolution of Cooperation written by Peter Hammerstein and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Table of contents

Why Humans Cooperate

Download Why Humans Cooperate PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780198041177
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (411 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Why Humans Cooperate by : Joseph Henrich

Download or read book Why Humans Cooperate written by Joseph Henrich and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007-06-27 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cooperation among humans is one of the keys to our great evolutionary success. Natalie and Joseph Henrich examine this phenomena with a unique fusion of theoretical work on the evolution of cooperation, ethnographic descriptions of social behavior, and a range of other experimental results. Their experimental and ethnographic data come from a small, insular group of middle-class Iraqi Christians called Chaldeans, living in metro Detroit, whom the Henrichs use as an example to show how kinship relations, ethnicity, and culturally transmitted traditions provide the key to explaining the evolution of cooperation over multiple generations.

The Theory of Cultural and Social Selection

Download The Theory of Cultural and Social Selection PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 0521199514
Total Pages : 267 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (211 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Theory of Cultural and Social Selection by : W. G. Runciman

Download or read book The Theory of Cultural and Social Selection written by W. G. Runciman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-11-05 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Darwinian legacy 1.

Cultural Theory

Download Cultural Theory PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 140518082X
Total Pages : 566 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (51 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Cultural Theory by : Imre Szeman

Download or read book Cultural Theory written by Imre Szeman and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2010-04-26 with total page 566 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cultural Theory: An Anthology is a collection of the essential readings that have shaped and defined the field of contemporary cultural theory Features a historically diverse and methodologically concise collection of readings including rare essays such as Pierre Bourdieu’s “Forms of Capital” (1986), Gilles Deleuze “Postscript on Societies of Control” (1992), and Fredric Jameson’s “Reification and Utopia in Mass Culture” (1979) Offers a radical new approach to teaching and studying cultural theory with material arranged around the central areas of inquiry in contemporary cultural study —the status and significance of culture itself, power, ideology, temporality, space and scale, and subjectivity Section introductions, designed to assist the student reader, provide an overview of each piece, explaining the context in which it was written and offering a brief intellectual biography of the author A large annotated bibliography of primary and secondary works for each author and topic promotes further research and discussion Features a useful glossary of critical terms

Varieties of Cultural History

Download Varieties of Cultural History PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 0745665861
Total Pages : 335 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (456 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Varieties of Cultural History by : Peter Burke

Download or read book Varieties of Cultural History written by Peter Burke and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-07-08 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of this book is both to illustrate and to discuss some of the main varieties of cultural history which have emerged since the questioning of what might be called its "classic" form, exemplified in the work of Jacob Burckhardt and Johan Huizinga. Among the themes of individual chapters are the history of popular culture, the history of Carnival, the history of mentalities, the history of gestures, the history of jokes, and even the history of dreams. The emphasis of both the introduction and the case-studies which follow is on the variety of forms taken by cultural history today. The classic model has not been replaced by any new orthodoxy, despite the importance of approaches inspired by social and cultural anthropology. Variety is to be found in the cultures studied as well as among their historians. The case-studies included in the volume come not only from Europe (and in particular from Italy) but also from the New World, especially Brazil. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of cultural encounters, cultural conflicts, and their consequences, whether these consequences should be described in terms of mixing, syncretism or synthesis. Written by one of the leading cultural historians in Europe today, this book will be of particular interest to students of early modern Europe, of the encounters between European culture and the New World, and to students and scholars interested in problems of historiography.

Risk and Culture

Download Risk and Culture PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520907396
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (29 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Risk and Culture by : Mary Douglas

Download or read book Risk and Culture written by Mary Douglas and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1983-10-27 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can we know the risks we face, now or in the future? No, we cannot; but yes, we must act as if we do. Some dangers are unknown; others are known, but not by us because no one person can know everything. Most people cannot be aware of most dangers at most times. Hence, no one can calculate precisely the total risk to be faced. How, then, do people decide which risks to take and which to ignore? On what basis are certain dangers guarded against and others relegated to secondary status? This book explores how we decide what risks to take and which to ignore, both as individuals and as a culture.

In the Light of Evolution

Download In the Light of Evolution PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Sackler Colloquium
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 388 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis In the Light of Evolution by : National Academy of Sciences

Download or read book In the Light of Evolution written by National Academy of Sciences and published by Sackler Colloquium. This book was released on 2007 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia of the National Academy of Sciences address scientific topics of broad and current interest, cutting across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Each year, four or five such colloquia are scheduled, typically two days in length and international in scope. Colloquia are organized by a member of the Academy, often with the assistance of an organizing committee, and feature presentations by leading scientists in the field and discussions with a hundred or more researchers with an interest in the topic. Colloquia presentations are recorded and posted on the National Academy of Sciences Sackler colloquia website and published on CD-ROM. These Colloquia are made possible by a generous gift from Mrs. Jill Sackler, in memory of her husband, Arthur M. Sackler.

Cultural Evolution

Download Cultural Evolution PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226520455
Total Pages : 281 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (265 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Cultural Evolution by : Alex Mesoudi

Download or read book Cultural Evolution written by Alex Mesoudi and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2011-07-30 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles Darwin changed the course of scientific thinking by showing how evolution accounts for the stunning diversity and biological complexity of life on earth. Recently, there has also been increased interest in the social sciences in how Darwinian theory can explain human culture. Covering a wide range of topics, including fads, public policy, the spread of religion, and herd behavior in markets, Alex Mesoudi shows that human culture is itself an evolutionary process that exhibits the key Darwinian mechanisms of variation, competition, and inheritance. This cross-disciplinary volume focuses on the ways cultural phenomena can be studied scientifically—from theoretical modeling to lab experiments, archaeological fieldwork to ethnographic studies—and shows how apparently disparate methods can complement one another to the mutual benefit of the various social science disciplines. Along the way, the book reveals how new insights arise from looking at culture from an evolutionary angle. Cultural Evolution provides a thought-provoking argument that Darwinian evolutionary theory can both unify different branches of inquiry and enhance understanding of human behavior.

Experiments in Cultural Language Evolution

Download Experiments in Cultural Language Evolution PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN 13 : 902720456X
Total Pages : 319 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (272 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Experiments in Cultural Language Evolution by : Luc Steels

Download or read book Experiments in Cultural Language Evolution written by Luc Steels and published by John Benjamins Publishing. This book was released on 2012 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores the cultural side of language evolution. This book proposes a framework based on linguistic selection and self-organization. It investigates how particular types of language systems can emerge in the population of language game playing agents and how they can continue to evolve in order to cope with changes in ecological conditions.