{"product_id":"cultural-evolution-alex-mesoudi-9780226520438","title":"Cultural Evolution: How Darwinian Theory Can Explain Human Culture and Synthesize the Social Sciences","description":"\u003cp\u003eCharles Darwin changed the course of scientific thinking by showing how evolution accounts for the stunning diversity and biological complexity of life on earth. Recently, there has also been increased interest in the social sciences in how Darwinian theory can explain human culture. Covering a wide range of topics, including fads, public policy, the spread of religion, and herd behavior in markets, Alex Mesoudi shows that human culture is itself an evolutionary process that exhibits the key Darwinian mechanisms of variation, competition, and inheritance. This cross-disciplinary volume focuses on the ways cultural phenomena can be studied scientifically--from theoretical modeling to lab experiments, archaeological fieldwork to ethnographic studies--and shows how apparently disparate methods can complement one another to the mutual benefit of the various social science disciplines. Along the way, the book reveals how new insights arise from looking at culture from an evolutionary angle. \u003ci\u003eCultural Evolution\u003c\/i\u003e provides a thought-provoking argument that Darwinian evolutionary theory can both unify different branches of inquiry and enhance understanding of human behavior.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alex Mesoudi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0226520439\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226520438\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.15lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.20h x 6.30w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2012","brand":"Alex Mesoudi","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44075973837055,"sku":"9780226520438","price":113.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_8dae8823-c73d-45a1-9261-e473477b6bed.jpg?v=1685462480","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/cultural-evolution-alex-mesoudi-9780226520438","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}