Cultural selection theory

Cultural selection theory is the study of cultural change modelled on theories of evolutionary biology.[1] Cultural selection theory has so far never been a separate discipline.[2] However it has been proposed[3] that human culture exhibits key Darwinian evolutionary properties, and "the structure of a science of cultural evolution should share fundamental features with the structure of the science of biological evolution".[3] In addition to Darwin's work the term historically covers a diverse range of theories[2] from both the sciences and the humanities including those of Lamark, politics and economics e.g. Bagehot, anthropology e.g. Edward B. Tylor, literature e.g. Ferdinand Brunetière, evolutionary ethics e.g. Leslie Stephen, sociology e.g. Albert Keller, anthropology e.g. Bronislaw Malinowski, Biosciences e.g. Alex Mesoudi,[3] geography e.g. Richard Ormrod,[4] sociobiology and biodiversity e.g. E.O. Wilson, computer programming e.g. Richard Brodie,[5] and other fields e.g. Neoevolutionism, and Evolutionary archaeology.[6]

  1. ^ [1] Reconsidering Cultural Selection Theory, Crozier, G. K. D, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. 59 (3), Sept 2008, DOI: 10.1093/bjps/axn018
  2. ^ a b [2] The history of cultural selection theory, Cultural selection, Agner Fog, 1999
  3. ^ a b c Towards a Unified Science of Cultural Evolution, Mesoudi A. Whiten A. Laland K. N., Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2006), 29, 329–383, Cambridge University Press.
  4. ^ Adaptation and Cultural Diffusion. Ormrod, Richard K. Journal of Geography, v91 n6 p258-62 Nov–Dec 1992
  5. ^ Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme, Hay House, 2004. ISBN 978-1-4019-2468-3
  6. ^ [3] Archived 2020-08-09 at the Wayback Machine Evolutionary Archaeology, Semiotics Encyclopedia Online, E.J. Pratt Library – Victoria University