The imagined world made real : towards a natural science of culture / Henry Plotkin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Plotkin, H. C. (Henry C.)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Culture.

Psychology.

Science and psychology.

Social evolution.

Physical Description:

xiv, 300 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, 2003.

Summary:

Can the insights of science provide a proper understanding of human culture, or must we leave the analysis of culture to the so-called humanities? The ability to share knowledge and beliefs is the preeminent characteristic of our species. Science itself is a product of culture and the natural sciences are the most powerful forms of knowledge we have. From explanations of the origins of the universe to descriptions of the molecular structure of life, science has a spectacular record of achievement. Yet it has mostly failed to provide an understanding of human culture. The Imagined World Made Real changes this by showing how a grasp of human evolution extends the reach of science. Henry Plotkin recognizes that at the heart of human culture are social constructs, such as justice and money, and that collective beliefs, values, and actions are essential to their formation and maintenance. Only when these constructs are integrated into an accepted biological framework will there be a true synthesis between the social and natural sciences. This book describes the beginnings of a comprehensive natural science of culture, and with it, an understanding of why people do what they do. Culture can now be thought of as a natural process that is actually billions of years old.

Contents:

1 Marrying the Biological and Social Sciences 1

Culture, social constructions and natural science 7

Possible frameworks 16

Evolution and the theory of evolution 19

Alternative theories to NeoDarwinism 38

How good a theory is evolutionary theory? 43

2 The Evolution of Intelligence 47

Why intelligence ever evolved at all 48

The limits of reductionism 71

Intelligence unlimited? 75

Fodor poses a problem 83

Human intelligence as adaptation or exaptation 88

3 The Emergence of Culture 95

Broadening the picture 100

The trouble with 'levels' 112

A solution to the levels problem 114

4 Naturalizing Culture the Process Way 120

The puzzle of war 124

Universal Darwinism 130

Modelling co-evolution 135

The 'new' science of memetics 140

5 Causal Mechanisms 161

A general framework for understanding psychological mechanism 163

What those mechanisms may be 171

Concepts, schemata and other higher-order knowledge structures 172

Imitation 179

Language 188

Theory of Mind 197

Social force 204

A single magical mechanism? 209

6 Individuals, Groups and Culture 213

The behavioural ecology of group living 217

The units and levels of selection 220

Vehicles, interactors and the revival of group selection 231

Niche construction 242

7 The Strangeness of Culture 248

The construction of social reality 251

A sociological turn 259

Social representations 266

Cultural psychology 273.

Notes:

Originally published: London : Allen Lane, 2002.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

081353268X

OCLC:

50560815