Simplifying Complexity How cultural evolution shapes us - Part 1
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Mar 17, 2025 Join Paul Smaldino, a Professor of Cognitive and Information Sciences and expert in cultural evolution, as he unpacks how cultural evolution shapes human behavior. Discover the fascinating interplay between culture and genetics, including how societal practices influence evolutionary traits like milk digestion. Smaldino also dives into the role of cultural norms in adaptive problem-solving and contrasts it with the evolution of organisms in stable environments. His insights challenge traditional disciplinary boundaries, highlighting the richness of transdisciplinary research.
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Paul Smaldino's Path to Complexity Science
- Paul Smaldino's academic journey was non-linear, starting with physics and inspired by James Gleick's 'Chaos'.
- He explored diverse fields like psychology, neuroscience, ecology, and anthropology, driven by questions rather than disciplines.
Cultural Evolution as a Discipline
- Cultural evolution recognizes that culture changes over time, similar to biological evolution.
- It emphasizes the interaction between genetic and cultural inheritance systems, shaping human behavior.
Lactose Tolerance: A Cultural Influence on Genes
- The ability of many humans to digest milk in adulthood is a culture-driven genetic evolution.
- Domesticating animals for milk created a selective pressure favoring genes for lactase persistence.
