[ExI] group selection in ep

[spike at rainier66.com]

Keith has hipsterized (hipnotized?) me to evolutionary psychology to some
minor extent.  I am trying to follow the papers the best I can.  This one
caught my attention, because I might have some insights to share.

 

I have long thought the conclusion inescapable that evolution does work at
the group level.  Environment sure appears to influence culture and culture
influences mate selection and mate selection influences the genetic content
of the local population.  That doesn't seem like magic to me.

 

My intuitions in this area are all subjective however, no equations, no
physical constants, none of that.  I don't trust myself when I am not
surrounded by systems of simultaneous equations and mathematical models.  I
am better with variables than I am with verbiage.

 

Check out this title and the quote:

 

You viewed
<https://www.academia.edu/keypass/UFpjR2lSVVlJejJWTDlPVHd3UWM3SzY0dkVpVkRyOH
A5d2s5VCs2dndLMD0tLW1nelh3djNFMG5sZEJIUjNCK2plM2c9PQ==--130dc21b07ca0ad078bc
68cccc30ccd84385897d/t/ocxid-N4KTC6b-PENvb/resource/work/777381?email_work_c
ard=interaction-paper> Evolutionary psychology, memes and the origin of war.
A related paper by
<https://auckland.academia.edu/keypass/RHJJenNLRUM1Yk9TK3VTTU9KM3hTbDFRR21UT
Gh5MUpnTWhHTUZCeVhtYz0tLVhTVkFoblM0ZktIQWJ2MGNBaWpwOUE9PQ==--b2578f55ea35770
f35b321e180cb2d8533b9b7e8/t/ocxid-N4KTC6b-PENvb/JBulbulia> Prof. Joseph
Bulbulia is on Academia:

 
<https://www.academia.edu/keypass/RHJJenNLRUM1Yk9TK3VTTU9KM3hTbDFRR21UTGh5MU
pnTWhHTUZCeVhtYz0tLVhTVkFoblM0ZktIQWJ2MGNBaWpwOUE9PQ==--b2578f55ea35770f35b3
21e180cb2d8533b9b7e8/t/ocxid-N4KTC6b-PENvb/resource/work/24317502/Fired_for_
the_Phylogenetic_revolution_in_Religious_Studies_A_commentary_on_David_Sloan
_Wilson?email_work_card=minimal-title> Fired for the Phylogenetic revolution
in Religious Studies: A commentary on David Sloan Wilson

We hope you enjoy this recommendation!
The Academia Team

 

Quote from the paper:

 

The participants were divided into four groups that met over a period of
five days to address the topics of "Cultural Evolution of the Structure of
Human Groups", "Cultural Evolution of Technology and Science", "Cultural
Evolution of Language", and "Cultural Evolution of Religion". The results
will appear as a volume published by MIT press, but one conclusion emerged
loud and clear: Human cultures are primarily adaptive at the group level. 

 

This conclusion might seem shocking to some, given the long history of
controversy over the topics of cultural evolution and group selection,
separately and in conjunction with each other. It might also seem suspect
coming from me, a lifelong proponent of group selection. Nevertheless, not
only did it represent the consensus view of all four groups-a claim that the
participants are free to dispute-but it can also be justified by analogy
with species as biological entities that are primarily adapted to their
environments. In this article, I will first outline the case for biological
species and then make the parallel case for human cultures.

 

Corresponding author's e-mail:

dwilson at binghamton.edu

Citation:

Wilson, David Sloan. 2013. Human Cultures are Primarily Adaptive at theGroup
Level (with comment).

Cliodynamics

4: 102-138.

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