Download or read book Cultural Transmission and Evolution MPB 16 Volume 16 written by L L Cavalli-sforza and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-31 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A number of scholars have found that concepts such as mutation, selection, and random drift, which emerged from the theory of biological evolution, may also explain evolutionary phenomena in other disciplines as well. Drawing on these concepts, Professors Cavalli-Sforza and Feldman classify and systematize the various modes of transmitting "culture" and explore their consequences for cultural evolution. In the process, they develop a mathematical theory of the non-genetic transmission of cultural traits that provides a framework for future investigations in quantitative social and anthropological science. The authors use quantitative models that incorporate the various modes of transmission (for example, parent-child, peer-peer, and teacher-student), and evaluate data from sociology, archaeology, and epidemiology in terms of the models. They show that the various modes of transmission in conjunction with cultural and natural selection produce various rates of cultural evolution and various degrees of diversity within and between groups. The same framework can be used for explaining phenomena as apparently unrelated as linguistics, epidemics, social values and customs, and diffusion of innovations. The authors conclude that cultural transmission is an essential factor in the study of cultural change.
Download or read book The Philosophy of Social Evolution written by Jonathan Birch and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-10-13 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From mitochondria to meerkats, the natural world is full of spectacular examples of social behaviour. In the early 1960s Bill Hamilton changed the way we think about how such behaviour evolves. He introduced three key innovations - now known as Hamilton's rule, kin selection, and inclusive fitness - which have been enormously influential, but which remain the subject of fierce controversy. Hamilton's pioneering work kick-started a research program now known as social evolution theory. This is a book about the philosophical foundations and future prospects of that program. Part I, "Foundations", is a careful exposition and defence of Hamilton's ideas, with a few modifications along the way. In Part II, "Extensions", Jonathan Birch shows how these ideas can be applied to phenomena including cooperation in micro-organisms, cooperation among the cells of a multicellular organism, and culturally evolved cooperation in the earliest human societies. Birch argues that real progress can be made in understanding microbial evolution, evolutionary transitions, and human evolution by viewing them through the lens of social evolution theory, provided the theory is interpreted with care and adapted where necessary. The Philosophy of Social Evolution places social evolution theory on a firm philosophical footing and sets out exciting new directions for further work.
Download or read book Culture Evolves written by Andrew Whiten and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Culture shapes vast swathes of our lives and has allowed the human species to dominate the planet in an evolutionarily unique way. This book is unique in focusing on the evolutionary continuities in culture, providing an interdisciplinary exploration of culture, written by leading authorities from the biological and cognitive sciences.
Download or read book Charles Darwin written by Lance Workman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-09-16 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the history of thought surrounding the relationship between Darwinism and the behavioural sciences. Accessible and thought-provoking, it demonstrates how and why Darwinism remains both illuminating and controversial today.
Download or read book Social Information Transmission and Human Biology written by Jonathan CK Wells and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2006-05-22 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent research has emphasized that socially transmitted information may affect both the gene pool and the phenotypes of individuals and populations, and that an improved understanding of evolutionary issues is beneficial to those working towards the improvement of human health. In response to a growing interest across disciplines for information regarding the contribution of social behavior to a range of biological outcomes, Social Information Transmission and Human Biology connects the work of evolutionary theorists and those dealing with practical issues in human health and demographics. Combining evolutionary models with biomedical research, authors from various disciplines look at how human behavior influences health, and how reproductive fitness sheds light on the processes that shaped the evolution of human behavior. Both academic and medical researchers will find much useful insight in this text.
Download or read book Vito Volterra Symposium on Mathematical Models in Biology written by Claudio Barigozzi and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-13 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The idea of organizing a symposium on mathematical models in biology came to some colleagues, members of the Accademia dei Lincei, in order to point out the importance of mathematics not only for supplying instruments for the elaboration and the evaluation of experimental data, but also for discussing the possibility of developing mathematical formulations of biological problems. This appeared particularly appropriate for genetics, where mathematical models have been of historical importance. When the organizing work had started, it became clear to us that the classic studies of Vito Volterra (who was also a Member of the Academy and its President from 1923 to 1926) might be con sidered a further reason to have the meeting in Rome at the Accademia dei Lincei; thus the meeting is dedicated to his memory. Biology, in its manifold aspects proved to Se ~ difficult object for an exhaustive approach; thus it became necessary for practical reasons to make a choice of problems. Therefore not all branches of biology have been represented. The proceedings of the symposium, as a whole, assume a knowledge of mathematics on the part of the reader; however the problem of teaching mathematics to biologists was the subject of a round table discussion, not recorded in these proceedings. On this were brought up some basic points to be recommended to teachers on an international basis, and a statement was prepared for circulation. The Organizing Committee TABLE OF CONTENTS TOPIC I MODELS OF NATUPAL SELECTION . . . . . . . • . . . .
Download or read book Abstracts of the Tenth International Congress of Phonetic Sciences written by Antonie Cohen and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2020-02-10 with total page 824 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No detailed description available for "Abstracts of the Tenth International Congress of Phonetic Sciences".
Download or read book Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology written by R. Jon McGee and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2013-08-28 with total page 1053 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social and cultural anthropology and archaeology are rich subjects with deep connections in the social and physical sciences. Over the past 150 years, the subject matter and different theoretical perspectives have expanded so greatly that no single individual can command all of it. Consequently, both advanced students and professionals may be confronted with theoretical positions and names of theorists with whom they are only partially familiar, if they have heard of them at all. Students, in particular, are likely to turn to the web to find quick background information on theorists and theories. However, most web-based information is inaccurate and/or lacks depth. Students and professionals need a source to provide a quick overview of a particular theory and theorist with just the basics—the "who, what, where, how, and why". In response, SAGE Reference is publishing the two-volume Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology: An Encyclopedia. Features & Benefits: Two volumes containing approximately 335 signed entries provide users with the most authoritative and thorough reference resource available on anthropology theory, both in terms of breadth and depth of coverage. To ease navigation between and among related entries, a Reader′s Guide groups entries thematically and each entry is followed by Cross-References. In the electronic version, the Reader′s Guide combines with the Cross-References and a detailed Index to provide robust search-and-browse capabilities. An appendix with a Chronology of Anthropology Theory allows students to easily chart directions and trends in thought and theory from early times to the present. Suggestions for Further Reading at the end of each entry and a Master Bibliography at the end guide readers to sources for more detailed research and discussion.
Download or read book History Within written by Marianne Sommer and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-05-27 with total page 553 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History Within explores how the life sciences have contributed to public and popular history and to moral and political visions for a just society of the future. It shows how the sciences that deal with the evolutionary history of human groups and of humankind are powerful producers of origin narratives and experiences of kinship and belonging. Marianne Sommer looks at the collecting efforts of three key scientistsHenry Fairfield Osborn, Julian Huxley, and Luca-Luigi Cavalli-Sforzathat render the interactive creation of bio-historical knowledge possible in the first place and asks how their scientific data was translated into more broadly meaningful narratives, images, and exhibits. The bones, organisms, and molecules they studied acquire political value, she argues, in negotiations over issues of interpretation and how scientific results ought to be communicated to the public. History Within is an essential history of biology in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries."
Download or read book The Social Science Encyclopedia written by Adam Kuper and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2003-12-16 with total page 962 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Social Science Encyclopedia, first published in 1985 to acclaim from social scientists, librarians and students, was thoroughly revised in 1996, when reviewers began to describe it as a classic. This third edition has been radically recast. Over half the entries are new or have been entirely rewritten, and most of the balance have been substantially revised. Written by an international team of contributors, the Encyclopedia offers a global perspective on the key issues within the social sciences. Some 500 entries cover a variety of enduring and newly vital areas of study and research methods. Experts review theoretical debates from neo-evolutionism and rational choice theory to poststructuralism, and address the great questions that cut across the social sciences. What is the influence of genes on behaviour? What is the nature of consciousness and cognition? What are the causes of poverty and wealth? What are the roots of conflict, wars, revolutions and genocidal violence? This authoritative reference work is aimed at anyone with a serious interest in contemporary academic thinking about the individual in society.
Download or read book The Selfish Gene written by Richard Dawkins and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1989 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science need not be dull and bogged down by jargon, as Richard Dawkins proves in this entertaining look at evolution. The themes he takes up are the concepts of altruistic and selfish behaviour; the genetical definition of selfish interest; the evolution of aggressive behaviour; kinshiptheory; sex ratio theory; reciprocal altruism; deceit; and the natural selection of sex differences. 'Should be read, can be read by almost anyone. It describes with great skill a new face of the theory of evolution.' W.D. Hamilton, Science
Download or read book Mathematical Evolutionary Theory written by Marcus W. Feldman and published by . This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The papers in this volume celebrate Samuel Karlin's contributions to mathematical evolutionary theory."--Page vii.
Download or read book Sociobiology Sex and Science written by Harmon R. Holcomb and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1993-01-01 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines sociobiology's validity and significance, using the sociobiological theory of the evolution of mating and parenting as an example. It identifies and discusses the array of factors that determine sociobiology's effort to become a science, providing a rare, balanced account--more critical than that of its advocates and more constructive than that of its critics. It sees a role for sociobiology in changing the way we understand the goals of evolutionary biology, the proper way to evaluate emerging sciences, and the deep structure of scientific theories. The book's premise is that evolutionary biology would not be complete if it did not explain evolutionarily significant social facts about nonhumans and humans. It proposes that explanations should be evaluated in terms of their basis in underlying theories, research programs, and conceptual frameworks.
Download or read book The Handbook of Culture and Biology written by Jose M. Causadias and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-08-30 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to empirical and theoretical research advances in culture and biology interplay Culture and biology are considered as two domains of equal importance and constant coevolution, although they have traditionally been studied in isolation. The Handbook of Culture and Biology is a comprehensive resource that focuses on theory and research in culture and biology interplay. This emerging field centers on how these two processes have evolved together, how culture, biology, and environment influence each other, and how they shape behavior, cognition, and development among humans and animals across multiple levels, types, timeframes, and domains of analysis. The text provides an overview of current empirical and theoretical advances in culture and biology interplay research through the work of some of the most influential scholars in the field. Harnessing insights from a range of disciplines (e.g., biology, neuroscience, primatology, psychology) and research methods (experiments, genetic epidemiology, naturalistic observations, neuroimaging), it explores diverse topics including animal culture, cultural genomics, and neurobiology of cultural experiences. The authors also advance the field by discussing key challenges and limitations in current research. The Handbook of Culture and Biology is an important resource that: Gathers related research areas into the single, cohesive field of culture and biology interplay Offers a unique and comprehensive collection from leading and influential scholars Contains information from a wide range of disciplines and research methods Introduces well-validated and coherently articulated conceptual frameworks Written for scholars in the field, this handbook brings together related areas of research and theory that have traditionally been disjointed into the single, cohesive field of culture and biology interplay.
Download or read book A Companion to the Philosophy of Biology written by Sahotra Sarkar and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2008-04-30 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprised of essays by top scholars in the field, this volume offers detailed overviews of philosophical issues raised by biology. Brings together a team of eminent scholars to explore the philosophical issues raised by biology Addresses traditional and emerging topics, spanning molecular biology and genetics, evolution, developmental biology, immunology, ecology, mind and behaviour, neuroscience, and experimentation Begins with a thorough introduction to the field Goes beyond previous treatments that focused only on evolution to give equal attention to other areas, such as molecular and developmental biology Represents both an authoritative guide to philosophy of biology, and an accessible reference work for anyone seeking to learn about this rapidly-changing field
Download or read book Population Genetics written by John H. Gillespie and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2004-08-06 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Description
Download or read book Reductionism and Cultural Being written by J.W. Smith and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
