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Cultural group selection is plausible, but the predictions of its hypotheses should be tested with real-world data

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2016

Peter Turchin  and
Thomas E. Currie
Peter Turchin
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269. [email protected]://cliodynamics.info
Thomas E. Currie
Affiliation:
Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom. [email protected]://biosciences.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Thomas_Currie
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Abstract

The evidence compiled in the target article demonstrates that the assumptions of cultural group selection (CGS) theory are often met, and it is therefore a useful framework for generating plausible hypotheses. However, more can be said about how we can test the predictions of CGS hypotheses against competing explanations using historical, archaeological, and anthropological data.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 39 , 2016 , e55
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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