Cultural evolution

described assassination as an "extreme form of censorship". It is now omnipresent in society and has been as long as society has existed. If one were to consider the course of an idea (and it is essentially ideas that are being censored) as its natural evolution, censorship takes this evolutionary course and disrupts and changes it, often until it is no longer the same

can ultimately lead to our evolutionary difference. This is due to the co-evolution of genes and culture. We evolve as a specie to increase our fitness and ability to survive and create offspring, however our ability to do so can be crippled due to many factors such as the change in environment. Within the film Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture directed by Spencer Wells, he provides examples to this co-evolution. Spencer Wells discuss the genes that codes for lactase persistence without

“archaeologists and anthropologists have recently started using phylogenetic analysis to reconstruct tool traditions.” (Houkes 2010: 2) Through phylogenetics anthropologists have been able to take data sets and use them to understand the evolution of certain cultural phenomena “To date, the use of cladistics has centered almost exclusively on organisms, but there is no logical reason that phylogenetic systematics

Creationism. International Society for Science and Religion, 2007. Being for or against a point of view does not necessarily mean that you are or are not religious. Someone can be religious and believe in evolution, just like Pennock. However, he indicates that creationists are very against the theory of evolution and it’s evidence because it downright “undermines both the basis of morality as they understand it and the possibility of purpose in life.” Pennock, Robert T. Tower of Babel: the Evidence against

(2012) explains the relationship of evolutionary psychology and culture, particularly regarding popular culture. He argues the theory of evolution is widely applicable in multiple disciplines. While evolution theory is essentially biological in nature, it can also give us insight to our culture, society and human behaviours. According to Sadd, recurrent themes in cultural forms could be explained by evolutionary psychology. He uses example of song lyrics and collective wisdom to demonstrate his point.

explains survival and cultural behaviors. Concepts that start off in science, may be applied towards sociology and culture in general. Thomas Kuhn presented the theory of paradigms over fifty years ago. This theory can be applied towards changes outside of natural science. Change happens in nature and in everyday lives. Richard Dawkins, a well-known evolutionary biologist, changed the way people viewed the world (Gleick, 2011). Sociobiology experts believe that evolution applies the understanding

not biological evolution influences the cultures of the world. How would influential minds in the area of evolution like Darwin or Lamarck view this kind of question, and more importantly if deemed true, does it lend credibility to the theory of Social Darwinism? How would Charles Darwin view the relationship between evolution and culture? Based on his work, and his support of the idea of natural selection, it can be inferred that Charles Darwin would argue that indeed human evolution does in fact

Ernst Mayr's What Evolution Is When Ernst Mayr published his book, What Evolution Is, in 2001 it was hailed as a work of genius. The praise, replete with superlatives, ranged from "elegant, enthralling, and provocative" to "clear, comprehensive, and very informative".1 From all appearances it intended to be the theory of evolution offered up to the common man for general consumption and enlightenment; it was what would put the evolution/creationism debate to rest once and for all. It neither

Ultra Society is a book that delves into how the forces of history have pushed humans to forge the cultural tools that make the large-scale society we see today. Ultrasociality, according to the author, Peter Turchin, is “the ability of human beings to cooperate in very large groups of strangers, groups ranging from towns and cities to whole nations, and beyond.” Over the course of human evolution, humans have become the most cooperative species on Earth, overtaking our best competitors, ants and

whether or not evolution, or creation science, should be eliminated from the curriculum. It is understandable that certain groups of people, such as the “Concerned Parents” organization, are not comfortable with this concept being taught to their students, however, it is crucial that they understand the benefit behind allowing their child to be exposed to a variance of viewpoints and outlooks on the world from a scientific and also social perspective. Many parents wonder why evolution should be taught