Guided Evolution Of Society

Author : Bela H. Banathy
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 425 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2013-03-09
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781475731392

Get Book

Guided Evolution of Society by Bela H. Banathy Pdf

Based on a comprehensive review of human and societal evolution the book develops an approach to conscious, self-guided evolution. In the course of the evolutionary journey of our species, there have been three seminal events. The first happened some seven million yeas ago, when our humanoid ancestors entered on the evolutionary scene. Their journey toward the second crucial event lasted over six million years when - as the greatest event of our evolutionary history - homo sapiens sapiens, started the revolutionary process of cultural evolution. Today, we have arrived at the threshold of the third major event, `the revolution of conscious evolution,' when it becomes our responsibility to enter into the evolutionary design space and guide the evolutionary journey of our species. The book tells the story of the first six million years of the journey in just enough detail to understand how evolution had worked in times when it was primarily biological, driven by natural selection. With the human revolution some fifty thousand years ago, with the emergence of self-reflective consciousness, the evolutionary process transformed from biological into cultural. From this point on, the book follows the journey with detailed attention, in order to learn how cultural evolution works. The book is organized in three parts. Part One commences with an exposition of a brief history of the evolutionary idea through time with a focus on a review of the science of general evolution and specifically social and societal evolution. Next, the book unfolds the `evolutionary story' of our species from the time when the first humanoids entered the evolutionary scene to our current era. Part Two develops a systems view of evolution, explores the ways and means of how evolution works, characterizes evolutionary consciousness and develops the idea of conscious evolution. Part Three builds upon the knowledge developed in the first two parts and sets forth the key conditions of conscious, self-guided evolution, elaborating the core condition, which is the acquisition of evolutionary competence through evolutionary learning. The focus of this part is on an approach to the design of evolutionary guidance systems that our families, neighborhoods, communities, organizations, social and societal systems can use to design the future they aspire to attain. The work is set aside from other statements in three important ways. It provides: (1) a comprehensive review of how evolution has worked with a focus on socio-cultural evolution, (2) an explanation of evolutionary consciousness and the conditions of engaging in conscious evolution, and (3) most significantly, it develops a detailed approach and a methodology to the design of evolutionary guidance systems.

Author : Bela H. Banathy
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 436 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2014-01-15
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 147573140X

Get Book

Guided Evolution of Society by Bela H. Banathy Pdf

Author : Graeme Taylor
Publisher : New Society Publishers
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2009-03-01
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781550923810

Get Book

Evolution's Edge by Graeme Taylor Pdf

The brink of catastrophe or the edge of evolution? The choice is ours.

Author : Peter J. Richerson,Morten H. Christiansen
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 499 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2024-04-30
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9780262551908

Get Book

Cultural Evolution by Peter J. Richerson,Morten H. Christiansen Pdf

Leading scholars report on current research that demonstrates the central role of cultural evolution in explaining human behavior. Over the past few decades, a growing body of research has emerged from a variety of disciplines to highlight the importance of cultural evolution in understanding human behavior. Wider application of these insights, however, has been hampered by traditional disciplinary boundaries. To remedy this, in this volume leading researchers from theoretical biology, developmental and cognitive psychology, linguistics, anthropology, sociology, religious studies, history, and economics come together to explore the central role of cultural evolution in different aspects of human endeavor. The contributors take as their guiding principle the idea that cultural evolution can provide an important integrating function across the various disciplines of the human sciences, as organic evolution does for biology. The benefits of adopting a cultural evolutionary perspective are demonstrated by contributions on social systems, technology, language, and religion. Topics covered include enforcement of norms in human groups, the neuroscience of technology, language diversity, and prosociality and religion. The contributors evaluate current research on cultural evolution and consider its broader theoretical and practical implications, synthesizing past and ongoing work and sketching a roadmap for future cross-disciplinary efforts. Contributors Quentin D. Atkinson, Andrea Baronchelli, Robert Boyd, Briggs Buchanan, Joseph Bulbulia, Morten H. Christiansen, Emma Cohen, William Croft, Michael Cysouw, Dan Dediu, Nicholas Evans, Emma Flynn, Pieter François, Simon Garrod, Armin W. Geertz, Herbert Gintis, Russell D. Gray, Simon J. Greenhill, Daniel B. M. Haun, Joseph Henrich, Daniel J. Hruschka, Marco A. Janssen, Fiona M. Jordan, Anne Kandler, James A. Kitts, Kevin N. Laland, Laurent Lehmann, Stephen C. Levinson, Elena Lieven, Sarah Mathew, Robert N. McCauley, Alex Mesoudi, Ara Norenzayan, Harriet Over, Jürgen Renn, Victoria Reyes-García, Peter J. Richerson, Stephen Shennan, Edward G. Slingerland, Dietrich Stout, Claudio Tennie, Peter Turchin, Carel van Schaik, Matthijs Van Veelen, Harvey Whitehouse, Thomas Widlok, Polly Wiessner, David Sloan Wilson

Author : David A. Baum,Douglas J. Futuyma,Hopi E. Hoekstra,Richard E. Lenski,Allen J. Moore,Cahterine L. Peichel,Dolph Schluter,Michael C. Whitlock
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 888 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2013-11-04
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781400848065

Get Book

The Princeton Guide to Evolution by David A. Baum,Douglas J. Futuyma,Hopi E. Hoekstra,Richard E. Lenski,Allen J. Moore,Cahterine L. Peichel,Dolph Schluter,Michael C. Whitlock Pdf

The Princeton Guide to Evolution is a comprehensive, concise, and authoritative reference to the major subjects and key concepts in evolutionary biology, from genes to mass extinctions. Edited by a distinguished team of evolutionary biologists, with contributions from leading researchers, the guide contains some 100 clear, accurate, and up-to-date articles on the most important topics in seven major areas: phylogenetics and the history of life; selection and adaptation; evolutionary processes; genes, genomes, and phenotypes; speciation and macroevolution; evolution of behavior, society, and humans; and evolution and modern society. Complete with more than 100 illustrations (including eight pages in color), glossaries of key terms, suggestions for further reading on each topic, and an index, this is an essential volume for undergraduate and graduate students, scientists in related fields, and anyone else with a serious interest in evolution. Explains key topics in some 100 concise and authoritative articles written by a team of leading evolutionary biologists Contains more than 100 illustrations, including eight pages in color Each article includes an outline, glossary, bibliography, and cross-references Covers phylogenetics and the history of life; selection and adaptation; evolutionary processes; genes, genomes, and phenotypes; speciation and macroevolution; evolution of behavior, society, and humans; and evolution and modern society

Author : Jonathan B. Losos,Richard Lenski
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 416 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2016
Category : Ethnology
ISBN : 9780691171876

Get Book

How Evolution Shapes Our Lives by Jonathan B. Losos,Richard Lenski Pdf

" It is easy to think of evolution as something that happened long ago, or that occurs only in "nature," or that is so slow that its ongoing impact is virtually nonexistent when viewed from the perspective of a single human lifetime. But we now know that when natural selection is strong, evolutionary change can be very rapid. In this book, some of the world's leading scientists explore the implications of this reality for human life and society. With some twenty-five essays, this volume provides authoritative yet accessible explorations of why understanding evolution is crucial to human life--from dealing with climate change and ensuring our food supply, health, and economic survival to developing a richer and more accurate comprehension of society, culture, and even what it means to be human itself. Combining new essays with ones revised and updated from the acclaimed Princeton Guide to Evolution, this collection addresses the role of evolution in aging, cognition, cooperation, religion, the media, engineering, computer science, and many other areas. The result is a compelling and important book about how evolution matters to humans today. The contributors include Francisco J. Ayala, Dieter Ebert, Elizabeth Hannon, Richard E. Lenski, Tim Lewens, Jonathan B. Losos, Jacob A. Moorad, Mark Pagel, Robert T. Pennock, Daniel E. L. Promislow, Robert C. Richardson, Alan R. Templeton, and Carl Zimmer."--

Author : Heather Heying,Bret Weinstein
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2021-09-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780593086896

Get Book

A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century by Heather Heying,Bret Weinstein Pdf

A bold, provocative history of our species finds the roots of civilization’s success and failure in our evolutionary biology. We are living through the most prosperous age in all of human history, yet people are more listless, divided and miserable than ever. Wealth and comfort are unparalleled, and yet our political landscape grows ever more toxic, and rates of suicide, loneliness, and chronic illness continue to skyrocket. How do we explain the gap between these two truths? What's more, what can we do to close it? For evolutionary biologists Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein, the cause of our woes is clear: the modern world is out of sync with our ancient brains and bodies. We evolved to live in clans, but today most people don't even know their neighbors’ names. Traditional gender roles once served a necessary evolutionary purpose, but today we dismiss them as regressive. The cognitive dissonance spawned by trying to live in a society we're not built for is killing us. In this book, Heying and Weinstein cut through the politically fraught discourse surrounding issues like sex, gender, diet, parenting, sleep, education, and more to outline a provocative, science-based worldview that will empower you to live a better, wiser life. They distill more than 20 years of research and first-hand accounts from the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth into straight forward principles and guidance for confronting our culture of hyper-novelty.

Author : Robert Boyd,Peter J. Richerson
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 339 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 1988-06-15
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780226069333

Get Book

Culture and the Evolutionary Process by Robert Boyd,Peter J. Richerson Pdf

How do biological, psychological, sociological, and cultural factors combine to change societies over the long run? Boyd and Richerson explore how genetic and cultural factors interact, under the influence of evolutionary forces, to produce the diversity we see in human cultures. Using methods developed by population biologists, they propose a theory of cultural evolution that is an original and fair-minded alternative to the sociobiology debate.

Author : John C. Mitani,Josep Call,Peter M. Kappeler,Ryne A. Palombit,Joan B. Silk
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 746 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2012-10-24
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780226531731

Get Book

The Evolution of Primate Societies by John C. Mitani,Josep Call,Peter M. Kappeler,Ryne A. Palombit,Joan B. Silk Pdf

In 1987, the University of Chicago Press published Primate Societies, the standard reference in the field of primate behavior for an entire generation of students and scientists. But in the twenty-five years since its publication, new theories and research techniques for studying the Primate order have been developed, debated, and tested, forcing scientists to revise their understanding of our closest living relatives. Intended as a sequel to Primate Societies, The Evolution of Primate Societies compiles thirty-one chapters that review the current state of knowledge regarding the behavior of nonhuman primates. Chapters are written by the leading authorities in the field and organized around four major adaptive problems primates face as they strive to grow, maintain themselves, and reproduce in the wild. The inclusion of chapters on the behavior of humans at the end of each major section represents one particularly novel aspect of the book, and it will remind readers what we can learn about ourselves through research on nonhuman primates. The final section highlights some of the innovative and cutting-edge research designed to reveal the similarities and differences between nonhuman and human primate cognition. The Evolution of Primate Societies will be every bit the landmark publication its predecessor has been.

Author : Alberto Bisin,Giovanni Federico
Publisher : Academic Press
Page : 1002 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2021-04-21
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780128162682

Get Book

The Handbook of Historical Economics by Alberto Bisin,Giovanni Federico Pdf

The Handbook of Historical Economics guides students and researchers through a quantitative economic history that uses fully up-to-date econometric methods. The book's coverage of statistics applied to the social sciences makes it invaluable to a broad readership. As new sources and applications of data in every economic field are enabling economists to ask and answer new fundamental questions, this book presents an up-to-date reference on the topics at hand. Provides an historical outline of the two cliometric revolutions, highlighting the similarities and the differences between the two Surveys the issues and principal results of the "second cliometric revolution" Explores innovations in formulating hypotheses and statistical testing, relating them to wider trends in data-driven, empirical economics

Author : David Sloan Wilson
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 277 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2010-09-16
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780226901374

Get Book

Darwin's Cathedral by David Sloan Wilson Pdf

One of the great intellectual battles of modern times is between evolution and religion. Until now, they have been considered completely irreconcilable theories of origin and existence. David Sloan Wilson's Darwin's Cathedral takes the radical step of joining the two, in the process proposing an evolutionary theory of religion that shakes both evolutionary biology and social theory at their foundations. The key, argues Wilson, is to think of society as an organism, an old idea that has received new life based on recent developments in evolutionary biology. If society is an organism, can we then think of morality and religion as biologically and culturally evolved adaptations that enable human groups to function as single units rather than mere collections of individuals? Wilson brings a variety of evidence to bear on this question, from both the biological and social sciences. From Calvinism in sixteenth-century Geneva to Balinese water temples, from hunter-gatherer societies to urban America, Wilson demonstrates how religions have enabled people to achieve by collective action what they never could do alone. He also includes a chapter considering forgiveness from an evolutionary perspective and concludes by discussing how all social organizations, including science, could benefit by incorporating elements of religion. Religious believers often compare their communities to single organisms and even to insect colonies. Astoundingly, Wilson shows that they might be literally correct. Intended for any educated reader, Darwin's Cathedral will change forever the way we view the relations among evolution, religion, and human society.

Author : Nicholas A. Christakis
Publisher : Little, Brown Spark
Page : 493 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2019-03-26
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780316230056

Get Book

Blueprint by Nicholas A. Christakis Pdf

"A dazzlingly erudite synthesis of history, philosophy, anthropology, genetics, sociology, economics, epidemiology, statistics, and more" (Frank Bruni, The New York Times), Blueprint shows why evolution has placed us on a humane path -- and how we are united by our common humanity. For too long, scientists have focused on the dark side of our biological heritage: our capacity for aggression, cruelty, prejudice, and self-interest. But natural selection has given us a suite of beneficial social features, including our capacity for love, friendship, cooperation, and learning. Beneath all of our inventions -- our tools, farms, machines, cities, nations -- we carry with us innate proclivities to make a good society. In Blueprint, Nicholas A. Christakis introduces the compelling idea that our genes affect not only our bodies and behaviors, but also the ways in which we make societies, ones that are surprisingly similar worldwide. With many vivid examples -- including diverse historical and contemporary cultures, communities formed in the wake of shipwrecks, commune dwellers seeking utopia, online groups thrown together by design or involving artificially intelligent bots, and even the tender and complex social arrangements of elephants and dolphins that so resemble our own -- Christakis shows that, despite a human history replete with violence, we cannot escape our social blueprint for goodness. In a world of increasing political and economic polarization, it's tempting to ignore the positive role of our evolutionary past. But by exploring the ancient roots of goodness in civilization, Blueprint shows that our genes have shaped societies for our welfare and that, in a feedback loop stretching back many thousands of years, societies are still shaping our genes today.

Author : Richard McElreath,Robert Boyd
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 430 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2008-09-15
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780226558288

Get Book

Mathematical Models of Social Evolution by Richard McElreath,Robert Boyd Pdf

Over the last several decades, mathematical models have become central to the study of social evolution, both in biology and the social sciences. But students in these disciplines often seriously lack the tools to understand them. A primer on behavioral modeling that includes both mathematics and evolutionary theory, Mathematical Models of Social Evolution aims to make the student and professional researcher in biology and the social sciences fully conversant in the language of the field. Teaching biological concepts from which models can be developed, Richard McElreath and Robert Boyd introduce readers to many of the typical mathematical tools that are used to analyze evolutionary models and end each chapter with a set of problems that draw upon these techniques. Mathematical Models of Social Evolution equips behaviorists and evolutionary biologists with the mathematical knowledge to truly understand the models on which their research depends. Ultimately, McElreath and Boyd’s goal is to impart the fundamental concepts that underlie modern biological understandings of the evolution of behavior so that readers will be able to more fully appreciate journal articles and scientific literature, and start building models of their own.

Author : David A. Baum,Douglas J. Futuyma,Hopi E. Hoekstra,Richard E. Lenski,Allen J. Moore,Cahterine L. Peichel,Dolph Schluter,Michael C. Whitlock
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 886 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2017-03-21
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691175874

Get Book

The Princeton Guide to Evolution by David A. Baum,Douglas J. Futuyma,Hopi E. Hoekstra,Richard E. Lenski,Allen J. Moore,Cahterine L. Peichel,Dolph Schluter,Michael C. Whitlock Pdf

The essential one-volume reference to evolution The Princeton Guide to Evolution is a comprehensive, concise, and authoritative reference to the major subjects and key concepts in evolutionary biology, from genes to mass extinctions. Edited by a distinguished team of evolutionary biologists, with contributions from leading researchers, the guide contains some 100 clear, accurate, and up-to-date articles on the most important topics in seven major areas: phylogenetics and the history of life; selection and adaptation; evolutionary processes; genes, genomes, and phenotypes; speciation and macroevolution; evolution of behavior, society, and humans; and evolution and modern society. Complete with more than 100 illustrations (including eight pages in color), glossaries of key terms, suggestions for further reading on each topic, and an index, this is an essential volume for undergraduate and graduate students, scientists in related fields, and anyone else with a serious interest in evolution. Explains key topics in some 100 concise and authoritative articles written by a team of leading evolutionary biologists Contains more than 100 illustrations, including eight pages in color Each article includes an outline, glossary, bibliography, and cross-references Covers phylogenetics and the history of life; selection and adaptation; evolutionary processes; genes, genomes, and phenotypes; speciation and macroevolution; evolution of behavior, society, and humans; and evolution and modern society

Author : C.O Makame
Publisher : Chegue Publishers
Page : 798 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2020-10-07
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781735222547

Get Book

Dependent Independence by C.O Makame Pdf

Everyone knows where they were when the first case of Coronavirus in the country was announced but not everyone knows how a virus like Coronavirus reveals so much about the historical, socio-economic and political sacred cows humanity has been breeding for more than a 1000 years and how these have created a free range for the pandemic to graze and unleash mayhem on an unprepared world. This book shatters the easy arrogance of countries with long held beliefs of how their power and economic prowess insulate them from the plagues often associated with the least developed countries in the world. In the run up to the 2020 elections, Americans are waking up to the reality that Democracy is very fragile and held together not by its gleaming skyscrapers but a philosophical framework that can easily be destroyed if the citizens do not protect it. For poor countries perennially unable to shrug off the shackles of corruption and ineptitude holding them back, it lays bare the brutal fact that the knee on their neck today is their own. An open mind is a very rare item but that is what this book asks of its reader. It brings historical facts carefully hidden through centuries of prejudice and misinformation with the intent to force us to confront ourselves, to ask questions we had not dared to imagine and perhaps set us on a path to collective healing, redemption and progress