David Sloan Wilson: Multilevel Cultural Evolution

Darwin’s theory of evolution is celebrated for its explanatory scope in biology, but was confined to the study of genetic evolution for most of the 20th century. The study of human cultural evolution from a Darwinian perspective did not begin until the 1970s, but now it has matured to the point of deriving practical applications for all positive change efforts, no matter what the context (e.g., education, economics, health, environment) or scale (e.g., from the individual person to global governance). Professor Sloan Wilson will review these developments, including an introduction to the nonprofit organization ProSocial World as a hub for “studying” (=basic scientific research) and “stewarding” (=assisting positive change efforts) cultural evolution in real-world settings.

David Sloan Wilson is President, Prosocial World; SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences and Anthropology, Binghamton University

Sponsored by Social and Behavioral Sciences, Departments of Economics, Anthropology, and Public Policy, Five-College Anthropology Colloquium, Political Economy Research Institute.