Cultural Selection
1. INTRODUCTION This book describes a new interdisciplinary theory for explaining cultural change. In contrast to traditional evolutionist theories, the present theory stresses the fact that a culture can evolve in different directions depending on its li
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Cultural Selection by
Agner Fog
SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, BV.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
ISBN 978-90-481-5173-8 ISBN 978-94-015-9251-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-015-9251-2
Printed on acid-free paper
AII Rights Reserved © 1999 Springer Science+Business Media Oordrecht Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1999 No pari 01 the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any lorm or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any inlormation storage and retrieval system, without wrilten permission Irom the copyright owner.
Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 2. THE HISTORY OF CULTURAL SELECTION THEORY 2.1 Evolutionism 2.2 Social darwinism 2.3 Functionalism 2.4 Neo-evolutionism 2.5 Diffusionism 2.6 Sociobiology 2.7 Interaction between genetic and cultural selection 2.8 Memetics 2.9 Sociology and anthropology 2.10 Synthesis of sociobiology and anthropology 2.11 Social psychology 2.12 Economic competition 2.13 Universal selection theory 2.14 Conclusion
3. FUNDAMENTAL MODEL FOR CULTURAL SELECTION 3.1 The genetic basis of culture 3.2 Cultural selection 3.3 Unit of selection 3.4 Innovation 3.5 Reproduction 3.6 Selection 3.7 Selection of me me complexes 3.8 Vicarious selection 3.9 Barriers in evolution 3.10 Differences between genetiC and cultural selection 3.11 Cultural selection in animals 3.12 The applicability of cultural selection theory
4. FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODEL 4.1 The concept of fitness 4.2 Genetic selection models 4.3 Genetic r- and K-selection 4.4 Cultural selection models
9 13 13 22 24 25 30 33 36 41 45 47 49 50 52 55
59 59 60 62 65 67 69 73 74 75 78 79 80
83 83 85 88 90
6 4.5 Cultural r- and k-selection 4.6 Mechanisms in cultural r/k-selection 4.7 Vicarious psychological mechanisms 4.8 The paradox of revolution 4.9 Typical characteristics of regal and kalyptic cultures 4.10 Limitations to the theory 4.11 Previously published related theories 4.12 Conservativism versus innovativism
91 94 96 99 101 103 104 108
5. CULTURAL SELECTION THROUGHOUT THE TIMES
110
5.1 The evolution of ever bigger political units 5.2 The evolution of religions 5.3 Animism 5.4 Polytheism 5.5 Monotheism 5.6 Oriental religions 5.7 Religions are created by cultural evolution 5.8 Secularization 5.9 Imperialism 5.10 Modern society 5.11 Migrations 5.12 Economic competition
110 113 115 116 119 124 127 129 130 131 132 134
6. DEMOGRAPHY
136
7. SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AMONG BABOONS
139
8. SOCIOLOGY OF DEVIANCE
143
8.1 The fight over defining reality 8.2 Defining reality in terms of science 8.3 Myth making 8.4 Witch-hunts and moral panics 8.5 The role of the mass media 8.6 The objects of witch-hunts
9. MASS MEDIA 9.1 Advertising and sponsoring 9.2 The competition for attention
10. SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 10.1 Psychological mechanisms 10.2 Selection of discourses
143 145 146 149 153 154
156 166 167
169 174 176
7 10.3 Social scripts 10.4 Taboo and sacredness 11. ART 11.1 The function of art 11.2 Styles and social stra
