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6 - The Study of Culture and Evolution across Disciplines

from Part II - Sociocultural Anthropology and Evolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2020

Lance Workman
Affiliation:
University of South Wales
Will Reader
Affiliation:
Sheffield Hallam University
Jerome H. Barkow
Affiliation:
Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
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Summary

Evolutionary scholars often appear to disagree strikingly about the value of “culture” in explaining human behavior. John Tooby, one of the founders and figureheads of evolutionary psychology, recently responded to the Edge.org question “What scientific idea is ready for retirement?” with the answer “Learning and culture” (Tooby, 2014). At around the same time, Joseph Henrich, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, published a book titled The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter (Henrich, 2015). How can two highly reputable scholars, both committed to understanding human behavior within an evolutionary framework, come to such apparently opposing conclusions? Should the concept of “culture” be retired, or should it be heralded as the secret to humanity’s evolutionary success?

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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