The Evolution of Cultural Entities: EVOLUTION CULT ENT CTB: Vol. 112 (Proceedings of the British Academy) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0197262627 ISBN 13: 9780197262627

Publisher: Liverpool University Press, 2002

Synopsis

Ever since Darwin, scholars have noted that cultural entities such as languages, laws, firms and theories seem to 'evolve' through sequences of variation, selection and replication, in many ways just like living organisms. These essays consider whether this comparison is 'just a metaphor', or whether modern evolutionary theory can help us to understand the dynamics of different cultural domains. The 'evolutionary paradigm of rationality' has a significant role to play throughout the human sciences, but raises complex issues in every cultural context where it is applied. By fostering discussion between scholars from a wide range of research traditions, this volume aims to influence the evolution of all of them.

Edition details

• Publisher: Liverpool University Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0197262627
• ISBN 13: 9780197262627
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 234
• Editor: Wheeler Michael, Ziman John, Boden Margaret A.