The evolution of culture : an interdisciplinary view / edited by Robin Dunbar, Chris Knight, and Camilla Power.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dunbar, Robin, Author.

Contributor:

Dunbar, R. I. M. (Robin Ian MacDonald), 1947- editor.

Knight, Chris, 1942- editor.

Power, Camilla, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Culture.

Social evolution.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 257 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 2007.

Summary:

This book explores the ways in which contemporary evolutionary thinking might inform the study of the peculiarly human phenomenon of symbolic culture, including language, ritual, religion, religion and art. It draws together contributions from biologists, linguists, anthropologists and archaeologists in order to establish common ground where collaboration and interaction will be especially productive and challenging in the study of those fundamental aspects of our biology that makes us human.MultidisciplinaryAn evolutionary approach to culture

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

The contributors

Preface

1 An evolutionary approach to human culture

PART I. THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIETY

2 The evolution of social organization

3 Symbolism as reference and symbolism as culture

4 Modern hunter-gatherers and early symbolic culture

PART II. THE EVOLUTION OF ART AND RELIGION

5 Sexual selection for cultural displays

6 'Beauty magic': the origins of art

7 The origin of symbolic culture

8 Symbolism and the supernatural

PART III. THE EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE

9 The evolution of language and languages

10 Culture, honesty and the freerider problem

11 Language variation and the evolution of societies

12 Sex and language as pretend-play

Further reading

Author index

Subject index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4744-6788-1