Culture and the Evolutionary Process

By Robert Boyd, Peter J. Richerson,

Book cover of Culture and the Evolutionary Process

Book description

How do biological, psychological, sociological, and cultural factors combine to change societies over the long run? Boyd and Richerson explore how genetic and cultural factors interact, under the influence of evolutionary forces, to produce the diversity we see in human cultures. Using methods developed by population biologists, they propose a…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Culture and the Evolutionary Process as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I had the good fortune to go to graduate school at UC Davis, where I got to know Peter Richerson, who co-led a group of people working on cultural evolution.

Pete, along with his long-time collaborator Rob Boyd, pioneered the theoretical framework of dual inheritance theory, or how genes and culture act as twin transmission channels for human evolution. In this book, they use mathematical models to explore the various ways in which humans might learn from one another, and how natural selection can shape the evolution of a psychology that facilitates various forms of social learning.

This book, more…

If you love Culture and the Evolutionary Process...

Ad

Book cover of From One Cell: A Journey into Life's Origins and the Future of Medicine

From One Cell By Ben Stanger,

Everybody knows that all animals—bats, bears, sharks, ponies, and people—start out as a single cell: the fertilized egg. But how does something no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence give rise to the remarkable complexity of each of these creatures?

FROM ONE CELL is a dive…

Want books like Culture and the Evolutionary Process?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Culture and the Evolutionary Process.

Browse books like Culture and the Evolutionary Process

Book cover of Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology
Book cover of The Origins of Unfairness: Social Categories and Cultural Evolution
Book cover of Historical Dynamics: Why States Rise and Fall

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,588

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Culture and the Evolutionary Process, you might also like...

Book cover of Diary of a Citizen Scientist: Chasing Tiger Beetles and Other New Ways of Engaging the World

Diary of a Citizen Scientist By Sharman Apt Russell,

Citizen Scientist begins with this extraordinary statement by the Keeper of Entomology at the London Museum of Natural History, “Study any obscure insect for a week and you will then know more than anyone else on the planet.”

As the author chases the obscure Western red-bellied tiger beetle across New…

Book cover of What Walks This Way: Discovering the Wildlife Around Us Through Their Tracks and Signs

What Walks This Way By Sharman Apt Russell,

Nature writer Sharman Apt Russell tells stories of her experiences tracking wildlife—mostly mammals, from mountain lions to pocket mice—near her home in New Mexico, with lessons that hold true across North America. She guides readers through the basics of identifying tracks and signs, revealing a landscape filled with the marks…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Canada, presidential biography, and World War 1?

Canada 451 books
World War 1 937 books