The theory that cultural evolution can be studied and understood by comparing it to the processes involved in biological evolution of species. It links biological and social aspects together as causes for evolution. Evolution has always strongly influenced archaeological studies, and with the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, thoughts on evolutionary theories became even more prevalent. Cultural evolution is more difficult to define because not only can it follow a heredity pattern, but culture can also be learned. In 1959, Leslie White published The Evolution of Culture, which sought to simply generalize changes that have occurred culturally, rather than pinpoint them, and thus made the link between biological and cultural evolution easier to establish. John Reader's text Man on Earth cites several examples of how the two intertwine and feed off of each other, such as the rice growers of Bali, whose culture altered as their environment, and thus biological characteristics, altered.
For further information:
Concept of One Universal Life
Nature, Nurture, and Human History
Composed by Patrick Findlay, Sara Jones, Sally McIver, Joseph Billeaud, and Ted Weiman.
Last updated 25 February 1997