1
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Hallam R. Is Culture Learned? The Neglected Role of Evoking Events. Integr Psychol Behav Sci 2024:10.1007/s12124-024-09865-5. [PMID: 39138787 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-024-09865-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Although no one disputes that the transmission of culture depends on social learning, a capacity that has enabled humans, unlike other animals, to modify cultural practices across generations, this review argues that cultural change can also be evoked by environmental events leading to an alteration in the configuration of an habitual behavioural repertoire. An evoked mechanism allows latent or normally suppressed behaviour to emerge. Cannibalism and warfare are put forward as examples. Evoked mechanisms have largely been ignored by one of the few attempts to reconcile biology and culture, namely cumulative cultural evolution (CCE). This review endorses CCE's aim of developing a biocultural conceptual framework but criticises this model for failing to produce a credible analysis of culture into 'units' or 'variants'. The critique of CCE is situated within a discussion of the long-standing separation within academia of science and arts disciplines, each focusing at different levels of analysis and with different aims. It is suggested that the main obstacle to developing a biocultural framework can be attributed to an incompatibility between nomothetic and idiographic research methods, the former being typical of the biological sciences, the latter of the arts. A successful biocultural conceptual framework would therefore have to accommodate the particular and the general. It is suggested that progress in this direction would be made if agreement could be reached on ways of observing or inferring behaviours rather than pursuing an analysis in terms of hypothetical constructs such as mental representations or units of 'cultural information'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Hallam
- Independent Researcher, 56 Limes Grove, London, SE13 6DE, UK.
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2
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Borg JM, Buskell A, Kapitany R, Powers ST, Reindl E, Tennie C. Evolved Open-Endedness in Cultural Evolution: A New Dimension in Open-Ended Evolution Research. ARTIFICIAL LIFE 2024; 30:417-438. [PMID: 37253238 DOI: 10.1162/artl_a_00406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The goal of Artificial Life research, as articulated by Chris Langton, is "to contribute to theoretical biology by locating life-as-we-know-it within the larger picture of life-as-it-could-be." The study and pursuit of open-ended evolution in artificial evolutionary systems exemplify this goal. However, open-ended evolution research is hampered by two fundamental issues: the struggle to replicate open-endedness in an artificial evolutionary system and our assumption that we only have one system (genetic evolution) from which to draw inspiration. We argue not only that cultural evolution should be seen as another real-world example of an open-ended evolutionary system but that the unique qualities seen in cultural evolution provide us with a new perspective from which we can assess the fundamental properties of, and ask new questions about, open-ended evolutionary systems, especially with regard to evolved open-endedness and transitions from bounded to unbounded evolution. Here we provide an overview of culture as an evolutionary system, highlight the interesting case of human cultural evolution as an open-ended evolutionary system, and contextualize cultural evolution by developing a new framework of (evolved) open-ended evolution. We go on to provide a set of new questions that can be asked once we consider cultural evolution within the framework of open-ended evolution and introduce new insights that we may be able to gain about evolved open-endedness as a result of asking these questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Borg
- Aston University School of Informatics and Digital Engineering.
| | | | - Rohan Kapitany
- Keele University School of Psychology University of Oxford School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography
| | | | - Eva Reindl
- Durham University Department of Anthropology University of St. Andrews School of Psychology and Neuroscience
| | - Claudio Tennie
- University of Tübingen Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology
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3
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St-Onge J, Burgio G, Rosenblatt SF, Waring TM, Hébert-Dufresne L. Paradoxes in the coevolution of contagions and institutions. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20241117. [PMID: 39137891 PMCID: PMC11321847 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.1117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Epidemic models study the spread of undesired agents through populations, be it infectious diseases through a country, misinformation in social media or pests infesting a region. In combating these epidemics, we rely neither on global top-down interventions, nor solely on individual adaptations. Instead, interventions commonly come from local institutions such as public health departments, moderation teams on social media platforms or other forms of group governance. Classic models, which are often individual or agent-based, are ill-suited to capture local adaptations. We leverage developments of institutional dynamics based on cultural group selection to study how groups attempt local control of an epidemic by taking inspiration from the successes and failures of other groups. Incorporating institutional changes into epidemic dynamics reveals paradoxes: a higher transmission rate can result in smaller outbreaks as does decreasing the speed of institutional adaptation. When groups perceive a contagion as more worrisome, they can invest in improved policies and, if they maintain these policies long enough to have impact, lead to a reduction in endemicity. By looking at the interplay between the speed of institutions and the transmission rate of the contagions, we find rich coevolutionary dynamics that reflect the complexity of known biological and social contagions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan St-Onge
- Vermont Complex Systems Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Giulio Burgio
- Departament d’Enginyeria Informatica i Matematiques, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona43007, Spain
| | - Samuel F. Rosenblatt
- Vermont Complex Systems Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Timothy M. Waring
- School of Economics, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
- Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
| | - Laurent Hébert-Dufresne
- Vermont Complex Systems Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
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4
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Chakraborty S, Wang MG, Wong MCS. Coupling and decoupling of ancestral linkages and current cross-border economic activities: Genetics and policy. ECONOMICS AND HUMAN BIOLOGY 2024; 54:101410. [PMID: 38908266 DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2024.101410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
This paper studies the potential link between the biological evolution of populations and present-day economic interactions by estimating the correlation of shared ancestry among populations with cross-border capital and human flows. To this end, we employ the new concept of genetic distance, based on (dis)similarity of neutral gene alleles, to quantify shared ancestry. We then incorporate the genetic distance measure into an augmented gravity model, traditionally used to analyze the effect of geographical distance on bilateral exchange. Our analysis focuses on bilateral foreign direct investment (FDI) and migration across 135 countries and we use both linear regression techniques as well as the Poisson Pseudo-Maximum Likelihood Estimator to account for any non-linearities in the model. Our results show that a 1% increase in genetic distance reduces FDI flows by 0.08% while controlling for other distance constructs and factors associated with global capital and human movement. Genetic distance also has a negative effect on migration, where a 1% increase in genetic distance reduces migration flows by 0.22%, with all other things remaining constant. Our study, therefore, links shared ancestry with economic behavior, showing how historical connections are associated with current economic exchanges among nations. Additionally, recognizing that ancestral ties are outside human control, we examine policy measures that help nations overcome such distance barriers. Our findings show that strengthening a nation's institutional quality and adherence to the rule of law can effectively mitigate any negative correlation of distance constructs with economic exchanges. These insights suggest that prudent policies to foster a stable business environment are essential for any nation to attract FDI and human capital, even from geographically or genetically distant nations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suparna Chakraborty
- Department of Economics, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, 94117, CA, USA
| | - Miao Grace Wang
- Department of Economics, College of Business Administration, Marquette University, 1530 W Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, 53233, WI, USA
| | - M C Sunny Wong
- Hobby School of Public Affairs, University of Houston, 4104 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Suite 104, Houston, 77204, TX, USA.
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5
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Alt KW, Honrath N, Weykamp M, Grönebaum P, Nicklisch N, Vach W. The Correlation of Tooth Sizes and Jaw Dimensions with Biological Sex and Stature in a Contemporary Central European Population. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:569. [PMID: 39194507 DOI: 10.3390/biology13080569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Dental anthropology provides a deep insight into biological, ecological and cultural aspects associated with human individuality, behaviour and living conditions and the environment. Our study uses a correlation analysis to test the metric relationships between tooth sizes and jaw dimensions and juxtaposes them with biological sex and stature. A sample of n = 100 dental casts was used to record metric dental data including the mesio-distal and bucco-lingual tooth crown diameters and nine upper and lower jaw dimensions. All crown diameters were highly correlated with both stature and biological sex, with the canines exhibiting the highest correlation. The majority of jaw dimensions exhibited similar correlations. Our results suggest that the differences between the sexes in most crown diameters and some jaw dimensions may be related to the stature of the individuals measured. Two groups of closely correlating features emerged among the jaw dimensions, differing in their degree of correlation with crown diameters and with sex. The results and insights obtained are highly relevant for evolutionary biology, dentistry, craniofacial research, bioarchaeology and forensic odontology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt W Alt
- Center of Natural and Cultural Human History, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Danube Private University, Förthofstrasse 2, 3500 Krems-Stein, Austria
- Institute of Prehistory and Archaeological Science, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Spalenring 145, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nils Honrath
- Center of Natural and Cultural Human History, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Danube Private University, Förthofstrasse 2, 3500 Krems-Stein, Austria
| | - Maximilian Weykamp
- Center of Natural and Cultural Human History, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Danube Private University, Förthofstrasse 2, 3500 Krems-Stein, Austria
| | - Peter Grönebaum
- Center of Natural and Cultural Human History, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Danube Private University, Förthofstrasse 2, 3500 Krems-Stein, Austria
| | - Nicole Nicklisch
- Center of Natural and Cultural Human History, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Danube Private University, Förthofstrasse 2, 3500 Krems-Stein, Austria
| | - Werner Vach
- Institute of Prehistory and Archaeological Science, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Spalenring 145, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
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6
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Anderies JM, Folke C. Connecting human behaviour, meaning and nature. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220314. [PMID: 38643792 PMCID: PMC11033052 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Much of the discourse around climate change and the situation of diverse human societies and cultures in the Anthropocene focuses on responding to scientific understanding of the dynamics of the biosphere by adjusting existing institutional and organizational structures. Our emerging scientific understanding of human behaviour and the mechanisms that enable groups to achieve large-scale coordination and cooperation suggests that incrementally adjusting existing institutions and organizations will not be sufficient to confront current global-scale challenges. Specifically, the transaction costs of operating institutions to induce selfish rational actors to consider social welfare in their decision-making are too high. Rather, we highlight the importance of networks of shared stories that become real-imagined orders-that create context, meaning and shared purpose for framing decisions and guiding action. We explore imagined orders that have contributed to bringing global societies to where they are and propose elements of a science-informed imagined order essential to enabling societies to flourish in the Anthropocene biosphere. This article is part of the theme issue 'Bringing nature into decision-making'.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. M. Anderies
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change and School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - C. Folke
- Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics and the Anthropocene Laboratory, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
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7
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O'Brien MJ, Valverde S, Duran-Nebreda S, Vidiella B, Bentley RA. Punctuated equilibrium at 50: Anything there for evolutionary anthropology? Yes; definitely. Evol Anthropol 2024; 33:e22009. [PMID: 37961949 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The theory of punctuated equilibrium (PE) was developed a little over 50 years ago to explain long-term, large-scale appearance and disappearance of species in the fossil record. A theory designed specifically for that purpose cannot be expected, out of the box, to be directly applicable to biocultural evolution, but in revised form, PE offers a promising approach to incorporating not only a wealth of recent empirical research on genetic, linguistic, and technological evolution but also large databases that document human biological and cultural diversity across time and space. Here we isolate the fundamental components of PE and propose which pieces, when reassembled or renamed, can be highly useful in evolutionary anthropology, especially as humanity faces abrupt ecological challenges on an increasingly larger scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J O'Brien
- Department of History, Geography, and Philosophy and Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Sergi Valverde
- Evolution of Networks Lab, Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- European Centre for Living Technology (ECLT), Venezia, Italy
| | - Salva Duran-Nebreda
- Evolution of Networks Lab, Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Blai Vidiella
- Evolution of Networks Lab, Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - R Alexander Bentley
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
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8
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Søgaard Jørgensen P, Weinberger VP, Waring TM. Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220251. [PMID: 37952619 PMCID: PMC10645096 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
How did human societies evolve to become a major force of global change? What dynamics can lead societies on a trajectory of global sustainability? The astonishing growth in human population, economic activity and environmental impact has brought these questions to the fore. This theme issue pulls together a variety of traditions that seek to address these questions using different theories and methods. In this Introduction, we review and organize the major strands of work on how the Anthropocene evolved, how evolutionary dynamics are influencing sustainability efforts today, and what principles, strategies and capacities will be important to guide us towards global sustainability in the future. We present a set of synthetic insights and highlight frontiers for future research efforts which could contribute to a consolidated synthesis. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Søgaard Jørgensen
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Stockholm 10405, Sweden
- Anthropocene Laboratory, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Stockholm 10405, Sweden
| | - Vanessa P. Weinberger
- Center for Resilience, Adaptation and Mitigation (CReAM), Universidad Mayor, Temuco, 4801043, Chile
| | - Timothy M. Waring
- Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine Orono, ME 04473, USA
- School of Economics, University of Maine Orono, ME 04473, USA
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9
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Waring TM, Wood ZT, Szathmáry E. Characteristic processes of human evolution caused the Anthropocene and may obstruct its global solutions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220259. [PMID: 37952628 PMCID: PMC10645123 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
We propose that the global environmental crises of the Anthropocene are the outcome of a ratcheting process in long-term human evolution which has favoured groups of increased size and greater environmental exploitation. To explore this hypothesis, we review the changes in the human ecological niche. Evidence indicates the growth of the human niche has been facilitated by group-level cultural traits for environmental control. Following this logic, sustaining the biosphere under intense human use will probably require global cultural traits, including legal and technical systems. We investigate the conditions for the evolution of global cultural traits. We estimate that our species does not exhibit adequate population structure to evolve these traits. Our analysis suggests that characteristic patterns of human group-level cultural evolution created the Anthropocene and will work against global collective solutions to the environmental challenges it poses. We illustrate the implications of this theory with alternative evolutionary paths for humanity. We conclude that our species must alter longstanding patterns of cultural evolution to avoid environmental disaster and escalating between-group competition. We propose an applied research and policy programme with the goal of avoiding these outcomes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M. Waring
- Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Zachary T. Wood
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 4000 Mayflower Hill Drive, Waterville, ME 04901, USA
| | - Eörs Szathmáry
- Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary
- Center for the Conceptual Foundations of Science, Parmenides Foundation, Pöcking, Germany
- Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary
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10
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Søgaard Jørgensen P, Jansen REV, Avila Ortega DI, Wang-Erlandsson L, Donges JF, Österblom H, Olsson P, Nyström M, Lade SJ, Hahn T, Folke C, Peterson GD, Crépin AS. Evolution of the polycrisis: Anthropocene traps that challenge global sustainability. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220261. [PMID: 37952617 PMCID: PMC10645130 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The Anthropocene is characterized by accelerating change and global challenges of increasing complexity. Inspired by what some have called a polycrisis, we explore whether the human trajectory of increasing complexity and influence on the Earth system could become a form of trap for humanity. Based on an adaptation of the evolutionary traps concept to a global human context, we present results from a participatory mapping. We identify 14 traps and categorize them as either global, technology or structural traps. An assessment reveals that 12 traps (86%) could be in an advanced phase of trapping with high risk of hard-to-reverse lock-ins and growing risks of negative impacts on human well-being. Ten traps (71%) currently see growing trends in their indicators. Revealing the systemic nature of the polycrisis, we assess that Anthropocene traps often interact reinforcingly (45% of pairwise interactions), and rarely in a dampening fashion (3%). We end by discussing capacities that will be important for navigating these systemic challenges in pursuit of global sustainability. Doing so, we introduce evolvability as a unifying concept for such research between the sustainability and evolutionary sciences. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Søgaard Jørgensen
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere Programme, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
- Anthropocene Laboratory, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Raf E. V. Jansen
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere Programme, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Daniel I. Avila Ortega
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere Programme, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lan Wang-Erlandsson
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Anthropocene Laboratory, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibnitz Association, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jonathan F. Donges
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibnitz Association, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Henrik Österblom
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Anthropocene Laboratory, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Per Olsson
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Magnus Nyström
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Steven J. Lade
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Thomas Hahn
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Carl Folke
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere Programme, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
- Anthropocene Laboratory, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
- Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Garry D. Peterson
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anne-Sophie Crépin
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
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11
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Little JC, Kaaronen RO, Hukkinen JI, Xiao S, Sharpee T, Farid AM, Nilchiani R, Barton CM. Earth Systems to Anthropocene Systems: An Evolutionary, System-of-Systems, Convergence Paradigm for Interdependent Societal Challenges. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:5504-5520. [PMID: 37000909 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Humans have made profound changes to the Earth. The resulting societal challenges of the Anthropocene (e.g., climate change and impacts, renewable energy, adaptive infrastructure, disasters, pandemics, food insecurity, and biodiversity loss) are complex and systemic, with causes, interactions, and consequences that cascade across a globally connected system of systems. In this Critical Review, we turn to our "origin story" for insight, briefly tracing the formation of the Universe and the Earth, the emergence of life, the evolution of multicellular organisms, mammals, primates, and humans, as well as the more recent societal transitions involving agriculture, urbanization, industrialization, and computerization. Focusing on the evolution of the Earth, genetic evolution, the evolution of the brain, and cultural evolution, which includes technological evolution, we identify a nested evolutionary sequence of geophysical, biophysical, sociocultural, and sociotechnical systems, emphasizing the causal mechanisms that first formed, and then transformed, Earth systems into Anthropocene systems. Describing how the Anthropocene systems coevolved, and briefly illustrating how the ensuing societal challenges became tightly integrated across multiple spatial, temporal, and organizational scales, we conclude by proposing an evolutionary, system-of-systems, convergence paradigm for the entire family of interdependent societal challenges of the Anthropocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Little
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Roope O Kaaronen
- Sustainability Research Unit, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Janne I Hukkinen
- Environmental Policy Research Group, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Shuhai Xiao
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Tatyana Sharpee
- Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Amro M Farid
- School of Systems and Enterprises, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, United States
| | - Roshanak Nilchiani
- School of Systems and Enterprises, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, United States
| | - C Michael Barton
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, and School of Complex Adaptive Systems, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
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12
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Allik J, Realo A, McCrae RR. Conceptual and methodological issues in the study of the personality-and-culture relationship. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1077851. [PMID: 37057156 PMCID: PMC10088870 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1077851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Culture-and-personality studies were central to social science in the early 20th century and have recently been revived (as personality-and-culture studies) by trait and cross-cultural psychologists. In this article we comment on conceptual issues, including the nature of traits and the nature of the personality-and-culture relationship, and we describe methodological challenges in understanding associations between features of culture and aspects of personality. We give an overview of research hypothesizing the shaping of personality traits by culture, reviewing studies of indigenous traits, acculturation and sojourner effects, birth cohorts, social role changes, and ideological interventions. We also consider the possibility that aggregate traits affect culture, through psychological means and gene flow. In all these cases we highlight alternative explanations and the need for designs and analyses that strengthen the interpretation of observations. We offer a set of testable hypotheses based on the premises that personality is adequately described by Five-Factor Theory, and that observed differences in aggregate personality traits across cultures are veridical. It is clear that culture has dramatic effects on the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from which we infer traits, but it is not yet clear whether, how, and in what degree culture shapes traits themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jüri Allik
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- *Correspondence: Jüri Allik,
| | - Anu Realo
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
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13
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Andersson C, Czárán T. The transition from animal to human culture-simulating the social protocell hypothesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210416. [PMID: 36688383 PMCID: PMC9869448 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The origin of human cumulative culture is commonly envisioned as the appearance (some 2.0-2.5 million years ago) of a capacity to faithfully copy the know-how that underpins socially learned traditions. While certainly plausible, this story faces a steep 'startup problem'. For example, it presumes that ape-like early Homo possessed specialized cognitive capabilities for faithful know-how copying and that early toolmaking actually required such a capacity. The social protocell hypothesis provides a leaner story, where cumulative culture may have originated even earlier-as cumulative systems of non-cumulative traditions ('institutions' and 'cultural lifestyles'), via an emergent group-level channel of cultural inheritance. This channel emerges as a side-effect of a specific but in itself unremarkable suite of social group behaviours. It is independent of faithful know-how copying, and an ancestral version is argued to persist in Pan today. Hominin cultural lifestyles would thereby have gained in complexity and sophistication, eventually becoming independent units of selection (socionts) via a cultural evolutionary transition in individuality, abstractly similar to the origin of early cells. We here explore this hypothesis by simulating its basic premises. The model produces the expected behaviour and reveals several additional and non-trivial phenomena as fodder for future work. This article is part of the theme issue 'Human socio-cultural evolution in light of evolutionary transitions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claes Andersson
- Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Division for Physical Resource Theory, Complex System Group, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden,European Centre for Living Technology, University of Venice Ca’ Foscari, Ca' Bottacin, Dorsoduro 3911, Calle Crosera, 30123 Venice, Italy
| | - Tamás Czárán
- Evolutionary Systems Research Group, ELKH Centre for Ecological Research, Karolina Road 29, H-1113 Budapest, Hungary,Institute of Evolution, ELKH Centre for Ecological Research, Karolina Road 29, H-1113 Budapest, Hungary,ELKH-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University, Egyetem tér 1–3, H-1053 Budapest, Hungary
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McShea DW. Four reasons for scepticism about a human major transition in social individuality. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210403. [PMID: 36688394 PMCID: PMC9869438 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The 'major transitions in evolution' are mainly about the rise of hierarchy, new individuals arising at ever higher levels of nestedness, in particular the eukaryotic cell arising from prokaryotes, multicellular individuals from solitary protists and individuated societies from multicellular individuals. Some lists include human societies as a major transition, but based on a comparison with the non-human transitions, there are reasons for scepticism. (i) The foundation of the major transitions is hierarchy, but the cross-cutting interactions in human societies undermine hierarchical structure. (ii) Natural selection operates in three modes-stability, growth and reproductive success-and only the third produces the complex adaptations seen in fully individuated higher levels. But human societies probably evolve mainly in the stability and growth modes. (iii) Highly individuated entities are marked by division of labour and commitment to morphological differentiation, but in humans differentiation is mostly behavioural and mostly reversible. (iv) As higher-level individuals arise, selection drains complexity, drains parts, from lower-level individuals. But there is little evidence of a drain in humans. In sum, a comparison with the other transitions gives reasons to doubt that human social individuation has proceeded very far, or if it has, to doubt that it is a transition of the same sort. This article is part of the theme issue 'Human socio-cultural evolution in light of evolutionary transitions'.
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Carmel Y, Shavit A, Lamm E, Szathmáry E. Human socio-cultural evolution in light of evolutionary transitions: introduction to the theme issue. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210397. [PMID: 36688397 PMCID: PMC9869440 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Human societies are no doubt complex. They are characterized by division of labour, multiple hierarchies, intricate communication networks and transport systems. These phenomena and others have led scholars to propose that human society may be, or may become, a new hierarchical level that may dominate the individual humans within it, similar to the relations between an organism and its cells, or an ant colony and its members. Recent discussions of the possibility of this major evolutionary transition in individuality (ETI) raise interesting and controversial questions that are explored in the present issue from four different complementary perspectives. (i) The general theory of ETIs. (ii) The unique aspects of cultural evolution. (iii) The evolutionary history and pre-history of humans. (iv) Specific routes of a possible human ETI. Each perspective uses different tools provided by different disciplines: biology, anthropology, cultural evolution, systems theory, psychology, economy, linguistics and philosophy of science. Altogether, this issue provides a broad and rich application of the notion of ETI to human past, present and perhaps also future evolution. It presents important case studies, new theoretical results and novel questions for future research. This article is part of the theme issue 'Human socio-cultural evolution in light of evolutionary transitions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohay Carmel
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technion, Haifa, 32000, Israel
| | - Ayelet Shavit
- Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Tel Hai College, 12208, Israel,Department of Humanities and Arts, Technion, 3200003, Israel
| | - Ehud Lamm
- The Cohn Institute for History and Philosophy of Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Eörs Szathmáry
- Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, 1121 Budapest, Hungary,Parmenides Foundation, 82343 Pöcking, Germany,Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
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Dor D. Communication for collaborative computation: two major transitions in human evolution. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210404. [PMID: 36688385 PMCID: PMC9869436 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper presents and defends the following theoretical arguments: (1) The uniqueness of the human condition lies in the fact that only humans engage in collaborative computation, where different individuals work together on shared computational challenges. Collaborative computation is the foundation of our cumulative cultures. (2) Collaborative computation requires individuals to engage in instructive communication, where senders do not just send messages to receivers-but also send them instructions that the receivers are obliged to follow in the course of computing the messages. (3) The process of human evolution was driven throughout by the invention and development of tools of instructive communication. (4) In this process, two separate major transitions should be identified. The first was made possible by the toolkit of representational gestures (pointing, eye contact, manual demonstration, pantomime and more) that Merlin Donald called the toolkit of mimesis. Mimesis allows for collaborative computation as long as the information requiring computation is available for direct experiencing by the participants. The second was made possible by language, the tool that allowed its users, for the first time, to engage in collaborative computations of information they did not experience together-through the systematic instruction of the mental computations of imagination. This article is part of the theme issue 'Human socio-cultural evolution in light of evolutionary transitions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Dor
- Department of Communication, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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Davison DR, Michod RE. Steps to individuality in biology and culture. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210407. [PMID: 36688387 PMCID: PMC9869451 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Did human culture arise through an evolutionary transition in individuality (ETI)? To address this question, we examine the steps of biological ETIs to see how they could apply to the evolution of human culture. For concreteness, we illustrate the ETI stages using a well-studied example, the evolution of multicellularity in the volvocine algae. We then consider how those stages could apply to a cultural transition involving integrated groups of cultural traditions and the hominins that create and transmit traditions. We focus primarily on the early Pleistocene and examine hominin carnivory and the cultural change from Oldowan to Acheulean technology. We use Pan behaviour as an outgroup comparison. We summarize the important similarities and differences we find between ETI stages in the biological and cultural realms. As we are not cultural anthropologists, we may overlook or be mistaken in the processes we associate with each step. We hope that by clearly describing these steps to individuality and illustrating them with cultural principles and processes, other researchers may build upon our initial exercise. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that human culture has undergone an ETI beginning with a Pan-like ancestor, continuing during the Pleistocene, and culminating in modern human culture. This article is part of the theme issue 'Human socio-cultural evolution in light of evolutionary transitions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinah R. Davison
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Richard E. Michod
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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Carmel Y. Human societal development: is it an evolutionary transition in individuality? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210409. [PMID: 36688399 PMCID: PMC9869447 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
An evolutionary transition in individuality (ETI) occurs when a previously independent organism becomes a lower level unit within a higher hierarchical level (for example, cells in an organism, ants in a colony). Using archaeological and historical accounts from the last 12 000 years, I empirically examine the proposition that human society increasingly functions as a higher hierarchical level within which individuals integrate as lower level units. I evaluate human societal development with respect to three criteria that together indicate complexity in biological systems and serve as an operationalization scheme for ETIs: size, inseparability and specialization. The size of the largest polity has increased seven orders of magnitude, from hundreds to billions. Inseparability became nearly complete since Mesopotamian city-states, following the first appearance of intricate specialization (division of labour). Connectivity within a polity has increased rapidly during the last few centuries, and particularly within the last few decades. In view of these results, I formulate the following hypothesis: human society is undergoing an evolutionary transition in individuality, driven by socio-cultural-technological processes. This proposition requires a detailed theoretical basis and further empirical testing. I propose four predictions derived from the hypothesis that may be used to test it. This article is part of the theme issue 'Human socio-cultural evolution in light of evolutionary transitions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohay Carmel
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel
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van Leeuwen EJ, Hoppitt W. Biased cultural transmission of a social custom in chimpanzees. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade5675. [PMID: 36791187 PMCID: PMC9931211 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade5675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Cultural transmission studies in animals have predominantly focused on identifying between-group variation in tool-use techniques, while immaterial cultures remain understudied despite their potential for highlighting similarities between human and animal culture. Here, using long-term data from two chimpanzee communities, we tested whether one of chimpanzees' most enigmatic social customs-the grooming handclasp-is culturally transmitted by investigating the influence of well-documented human transmission biases on their variational preferences. After identifying differences in style preferences between the communities, we show that older and dominant individuals exert more influence over their partners' handclasp styles. Mothers were equally likely to influence their offspring's preferences as nonkin, indicating that styles are transmitted both vertically and obliquely. Last, individuals gradually converged on the group style, suggesting that conformity guides chimpanzees' handclasp preferences. Our findings show that chimpanzees' social lives are influenced by cultural transmission biases that hitherto were thought to be uniquely human.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, K. Astridplein 26, B 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - William Hoppitt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
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Morgan TJH, Suchow JW, Griffiths TL. The experimental evolution of human culture: flexibility, fidelity and environmental instability. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221614. [PMID: 36321489 PMCID: PMC9627710 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The past 2 Myr have seen both unprecedented environmental instability and the evolution of the human capacity for complex culture. This, along with the observation that cultural evolution occurs faster than genetic evolution, has led to the suggestion that culture is an adaptation to an unstable environment. We test this hypothesis by examining the ability of human social learning to respond to environmental changes. We do this by inserting human participants (n = 4800) into evolutionary simulations with a changing environment while varying the social information available to individuals across five conditions. We find that human social learning shows some signs of adaptation to environmental instability, including critical social learning, the adoption of up-and-coming traits and, unexpectedly, contrariness. However, these are insufficient to avoid significant fitness declines when the environment changes, and many individuals are highly conformist, which exacerbates the fitness effects of environmental change. We conclude that human social learning reflects a compromise between the competing needs for flexibility to accommodate environmental change and fidelity to accurately transmit valuable cultural information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. H. Morgan
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, 900 S. Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, 777 E University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Jordan W. Suchow
- School of Business, Stevens Institute of Technology, 1 Castle Point Terrace, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
| | - Thomas L. Griffiths
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, 320 Peretsman Scully Hall, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, 417 Computer Science, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
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21
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Culture is reducing genetic heritability and superseding genetic adaptation. Behav Brain Sci 2022; 45:e179. [PMID: 36098427 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x21001667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Uchiyama et al. reveal how group-structured cultural variation influences measurements of trait heritability. We argue that understanding culture's influence on phenotypic heritability can clarify the impact of culture on genetic inheritance, which has implications for long-term gene-culture coevolution. Their analysis may provide guidance for testing our hypothesis that cultural adaptation is superseding genetic adaptation in the long term.
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22
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Integrating cultural evolution and behavioral genetics. Behav Brain Sci 2022; 45:e182. [PMID: 36098400 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x22000036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The 29 commentaries amplified our key arguments; offered extensions, implications, and applications of the framework; and pushed back and clarified. To help forge the path forward for cultural evolutionary behavioral genetics, we (1) focus on conceptual disagreements and misconceptions about the concepts of heritability and culture; (2) further discuss points raised about the intertwined relationship between culture and genes; and (3) address extensions to the proposed framework, particularly as it relates to cultural clusters, development, and power. These commentaries, and the deep engagement they represent, reinforce the importance of integrating cultural evolution and behavioral genetics.
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