The document argues that culture can and should be studied within an evolutionary framework using scientific methodologies from biology. It outlines how concepts from fields like population genetics, molecular genetics, and evolutionary ecology can be applied to understand cultural evolution. While culture is more complex than biology, simplifying models have benefited biology and could also help cultural evolution sciences accumulate knowledge and progress. Key differences between biological and cultural inheritance must also be considered.
1. Towards a unified science of cultural evolution The study of culture can and should be viewed within an evolutionary framework, which will allow for the application of more rigorous scientific methodologies in the social sciences and stimulate progress in the science of culture.
This is a really ambitious paper that covers a HUGE range of topics, so there are gonna be a few dense slides, but I’ll try to plow through them as quickly and coherently as possible.
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