Wired for Culture: Origins of the Human Social Mind

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Wired for Culture: Origins of the Human Social Mind Page 46

by Mark Pagel


  chromosomes, 126–27, 252, 283–84

  sex, 318

  Churchill, Winston, 58, 164

  Cicero, 90–91

  cichlid fish, 106–7

  cities, 265, 343, 345–48, 359–63, 369

  collapse of, 361

  defensive walls of, 360

  disease transmission in, 360–61

  efficiency of, 359–60

  planned, 357

  strangers trusted in, 346–48

  technological innovations needed by, 361

  see also nation-states

  city-states, 346

  Clark, William, 52–53, 185–86

  clones, 71, 211, 330

  clothing, 4, 30, 44, 47, 61, 130

  dating of, 259

  differentiated, 52

  lice and, 259, 260

  code switching, 292

  collective ignorance, 335, 363

  commensals, 136–37

  common goods, 213, 226–31

  Company of Strangers, The (Seabright), 346–47

  competition, ix–x, 7, 11, 85, 98, 180, 184, 186, 240, 311

  to cooperate, 226–31

  among cultural forms, 137, 139

  among cultural survival vehicles, 67–68, 72, 90, 92–93, 96, 97, 146

  killing off of, 85, 152, 188

  in meritocracies, 125

  with neighboring groups, 159–60

  among RNA strands, 74, 75, 181–84

  social, 246–51

  specialization and, 108, 125

  for survival, 64, 158

  of words, 300–302, 306

  complex systems, 350–57

  computer games, 23

  computers, 241–42, 252, 265, 293, 334, 336–37

  chess played by, 332

  computer simulations, 192–93, 352, 353

  Confessions (Augustine), 333

  conflicts of interest, 70–72, 179–202, 233, 323, 338

  Congo (chimpanzee), 109–10

  conscience, 88, 123–24, 195, 313

  consciousness, 8, 13–14, 249–50, 269–73, 321–22, 324–34

  of apes, 333

  language and, 333–34

  memes in, 331

  as virtual sixth sense, 332–34

  conspicuous consumption, 155–56, 214, 215–16

  conspicuous waste, 153–56, 163, 166, 213–16, 217, 230, 362

  conspiracy theories, 338, 339

  Constant Battles (LeBlanc and Register), 92

  contagion, 338, 339

  contrade, Sienese, 103, 121–22

  cooking, 235

  cooperation, ix, x, 3, 8, 13, 14, 15, 53, 69–98, 165, 173–266, 311, 333, 338, 367–68

  alliances in, 184–87

  as common good, 213

  conflicts of interest in, 179–202, 224, 228

  death avoided by, 76

  demonstrating commitment to, 226–31

  diffusion of, 201–2, 205–6, 212–13, 221–22

  economic interdependence in, 186, 350–51

  evolution of, 174, 177, 204–13

  language and, 220–21, 279–83

  large societies enabled by, 345–49, 362–63, 364, 365–66

  linked fates in, 75, 183–87, 191, 230–31

  of multicellular bodies, 75–76, 79–80

  natural selection of, 10–11, 73, 78, 88, 176, 177, 182–84

  origins of, 73–76

  prisoner’s dilemma and, 188–89

  psychological dispositions and emotions related to, 180, 190, 199–200, 204–13, 280

  reciprocal, 220

  self-interest vs., 71–73

  selfish cheaters and, 71–72, 173–74, 176–77, 180, 187–88, 190, 191, 192–93, 194, 199, 200, 208–18, 226–27, 229, 347

  as social norm, 212

  as survival strategy, 72

  win-stay, lose-shift strategy in, 194–95

  as “win-win” strategy, 313

  worldwide, 186

  cooperative exchange, 100, 103–5, 108, 124, 311–12, 313

  coordinated action, 150–53, 159

  Cordyceps fungus, 20

  Corps of Discovery, see Lewis and Clark expedition

  Cosmides, Leah, 208–9

  Creation, The (Atkins), 240

  creationism, 140

  creativity, 43, 236–44, 328, 359

  Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, 310

  crime rate, 265–66

  Cubism, 111

  cultural diversity, vii–x

  geography in, ix

  Native American, 52–53

  within Soviet Union, 59

  cultural enhancers, 132–69, 220

  memes vs., 135–38, 145–46, 158–64

  as not directly productive, 132–34, 163

  survivors of competition among, 137

  see also art; music; religions

  Cultural Origins of Human Cognition (Tomasello), 41

  cultural survival vehicles, 12–15, 29, 45–68, 69–98, 134–35, 153, 191, 281, 355–56

  allegiance to, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, 27, 73

  alliances formed by, 75–76, 88

  competition among, 67–68, 72, 90, 92–93, 96, 97, 146

  complex subdivisions of, 11

  cooperation and, 70–98

  cues for shared cultural history in, 82–83, 222–23

  cumulative adaptation and, 45–49

  favoring members of, 8, 80–82

  identifying outsiders of, 222–23, 231–32, 304

  missing years and, 59–62

  origin of, 76–87

  rule of two broken by, 66–68

  sense of belonging to, 11, 12, 13, 72–73

  shared purposed of, 73, 369

  small, vulnerability of, 12, 53–54, 60–62, 70

  violence of, 88–95

  willingness to die for, 11, 27, 69

  cultural survival vehicles, separation of, 48, 49–62

  clustered genetic similarities reflected in, 48, 55–56

  distinguishing neighbors in, 50–52

  geographical population density and, 53

  of immigrant communities, 55

  and lack of mobility, 54–56

  linguistic, 49–54, 56, 57–58, 81

  neighbor’s traits resisted by, 59

  outside information flow resisted in, 57–59, 81

  random drift and, 60–62

  culture:

  ancestral, 58–59

  of animals, 8–9

  arbitrary affiliation of, 4–6, 10, 27

  arbitrary nature of, 4–5

  artifacts of, 4, 26, 32–33, 44

  elements of, 1–3, 26

  emergence of, 1–2

  geographically shared traits of, 58–59

  imprinting on, 5–7

  individuals’ devotion to, 5

  invention of, 2

  material, 59

  mind control exercised by, 19, 26, 27

  reproductive success promoted by, 11, 13, 24, 26, 27

  survival of, 11

  as survival strategy, 6, 7, 11, 13, 66

  cumulative cultural adaptations, 45–49, 70

  cuneiform tablets, 167

  cut marks, on bones, 43, 310

  Cyrano de Bergerac (Rostand), 290–91

  Dalí, Salvador, 109

  Daly, Martin, 315

  Darwin, Charles, 9–10, 14, 25, 64, 80, 96, 151, 158, 164–69, 202, 242, 245

  descent with modification concept of, 251–52, 296, 297

  on language development, 296

  sexual selection theory of, 153–54

  at Tierra de Fuego, 260

  Dawkins, Richard, 12, 21, 24, 158, 206, 239–40, 249, 272, 307

  death, 10, 20, 64, 69, 76, 95, 115, 164, 262–63, 363

  cannibalism and, 309–11

  kin selection and, 71

  of noncontributing tribal members, 95

  parasites as largest cause of, 257–58

  for religious beliefs, 21, 23, 145, 156, 158

  of social amoebae, 77, 78, 79, 80, 82, 85 />
  see also self-sacrifice, suicidal

  debris, evolutionary, 128

  deception, 13–14, 208, 307–40

  detection of, 307, 310–11, 312–14, 320

  genetic factors in, 314, 316–24; see also gender differences

  hidden emotions in, 312

  in infantile anonymity at birth, 314–16

  intelligence and, 173–74, 309–16

  mental illness and, 309–11, 313–14

  rewards of, 312

  self-, 307, 308, 312, 316–24

  social learning and, 335–40

  theory of mind in, 311–12, 330–31

  truth vs., see truth

  as “zero-sum” interaction, 313

  decision making, 324–40

  in brain, 325–27, 328–30, 332

  collective ignorance and, 335, 363

  imitation vs. innovation in, 335–40

  defensive strategies, 245

  defensive walls, 360

  demography, rule of two in, 62–68, 93

  Denisova Cave site, 31, 33, 34

  Dennett, Daniel, 21, 22, 140, 324

  depression, 150

  Descartes, René, 139

  Cogito, ergo sum statement of, 327

  Descent of Man, The (Darwin), 296

  descent with modification, 251–52, 296, 297

  determinism, 14

  detour task, 272

  Diamond, Jared, 61, 291

  Dictator game, 197, 200–201

  dictatorships, 349, 363, 365–66

  Dinka tribe, 9

  diploid organisms, 316–17

  Dirac, Paul, 128–29

  diseases, 20, 95, 127, 160–61, 248, 257–58, 310, 360–61

  dispersal, male vs. female, 322–23, 324

  diversifying selection, 101

  division of labor, 92–93, 99, 100, 184, 350

  DNA (deoxyribose nucleic acid), 73, 133–34, 181, 251–54, 277, 353

  ancient, 29, 31, 33–34, 322–23

  chromosomes of, 126–27, 252, 283–84, 318

  as digital signaling system, 287–89

  double helix of, 74

  junk, 285–89, 292

  language and, 283–93

  mitochondrial, 318–19

  nucleotides of, 252, 263, 287–89

  see also genes; genetic factors

  dogs, 255, 272, 346

  domestic breeds of, 101–2

  rabid, 20

  rule-based behavior of, 245, 272

  dolphins, 8

  domestication, 254–64

  of animals, 101–2, 114, 255–56, 263–64, 265, 266

  of plants, 262

  Dorig speakers, 50

  dowries, 37

  drug use, 22, 23, 160

  performance-enhancing, 134, 159

  dualism, 139–40

  Duncan, Dayton, 52

  Durham Cathedral, 157, 163

  dyslexia, 128

  Easter Island, 36

  Ebola virus, 20

  economics, 104–5, 176–77, 188, 196–201

  barter, 220

  common goods in, 213, 226–31

  credit in, 219

  interdependence in, 186, 350–51

  law of supply and demand in, 121–22, 200

  transferability in, 218–22

  ultimatum game of, 196–200

  economies of scale, 358–63

  ectoparasites, 257–61

  Edgerton, David, 242–43

  ego, 321–22, 323

  Einstein, Albert, 129, 328

  elephants, 63, 73, 176

  Ember, Carol, 92

  embryonic development, 353–57

  emergent properties, 351

  Emin, Tracey, 138

  empathy, 7, 8, 88, 266

  endoparasites, 257–58, 317–18, 319

  endurance running, 249–50, 257

  England, 19, 38–39, 236–40, 296

  Durham Cathedral in, 157, 163

  London art galleries of, 138

  London’s Millennium Bridge in, 237–38

  moralistic aggression in, 224

  Norman conquest of, 57, 306

  Otmoor villages of, 54–55

  Paley’s natural theology in, 238–40

  English language, 57–58, 222–23, 297, 298, 300–302

  adaptability of, 306

  Americanisms in, 58, 305

  Old to Modern, 295–96

  as worldwide lingua franca, 303, 305–6

  English speakers, 50, 57

  engraved ochre stone at Blombos Cave site, 32, 113

  enhancement selection, 231

  environments, 67, 143, 326–27, 335–36

  adaptations to, 7, 9, 38, 44, 45–46, 47–48, 66, 127, 151

  carrying capacity of, 65–66, 93, 95, 297, 361

  natural disasters in, 148

  niche, 50

  social, 102, 113, 119

  in talent development, 102, 113–19

  typically human, 114–15

  Eothen (Kinglake), 282–83

  epidemiology, 360–61

  equality of opportunity, 125

  Esperanto, 303

  Essay Concerning Human Understanding (Locke), 169, 308

  Ethiopia, 30

  Europe, 29–30, 33–34, 37, 44, 45, 48, 54–56, 263–64, 280, 363

  adult milk digestion in, 263–64

  ancient hunter-gatherers in, 297

  languages of, 296–97

  European Union, 186

  eusociality, 73, 202

  evolution, ix–x, 1–15, 45–46, 69–98, 125–31, 133, 136, 232, 233–66, 307, 340, 346

  of altruism, 78–87

  of brain, 234–36, 250–54, 311, 328–29, 338, 356

  common ancestors in, 251–54, 263

  continuing, 264–66

  convergent, 134

  of cooperation, 174, 177, 204–13

  cultural, 21–27, 36–37, 45–49, 108–9, 129–31, 134–35

  of cultural altruism, 204–13

  Darwinian, see Darwin, Charles

  of endurance running, 249–50

  free will and, 10

  group selection in, 96–98

  independent, 130

  of language, 220–21, 279–83

  major transitions in, 75, 76–77

  of menopause, 67

  naturalistic fallacy and, 14

  as progressive, 129–31

  recent rapid, 125–27

  replicators in, 73–76

  of risk taking, 123

  of spite, 188

  time in, 9

  in typically human environments, 114–15

  variety in, 239–40

  of viruses, rapidity of, 25

  see also natural selection; reproductive success; survival strategies

  evolutionarily stable strategies, 119–25, 336

  evolutionary biology, ix–x, 7, 11, 20, 22, 71, 75, 101, 120, 154, 188, 204–13, 239, 359

  evolutionary debris, 128

  Evolution of Language, The (Fitch), 278

  Evolution of Technology, The (Basalla), 242

  exchange, cooperative, 100, 103–5, 108, 124, 311–12, 313

  Extended Phenotype, The (Dawkins), 12

  extinctions, 60, 183

  of Homo, 30, 33, 37, 43, 45, 68

  human near-, 4

  of languages, 305–6

  modern humans as cause of, 37

  of words, 301

  extreme male brain, 128

  fairness, sense of, 8, 124, 177, 190, 195–201, 347, 367

  in ultimatum game, 196–200

  false beliefs, 132, 141–45, 148, 150–53, 156–58, 231, 308, 338, 339, 348

  false-belief tests, 42

  Fear and Trembling (Kierkegaard), 157–58

  Federal Bureal of Investigation (FBI), 187

  female dispersal, 322–23

  Fertile Crescent, 297

  figurines, sculpted, 30, 44, 112–13

  Venus statues, 261–62

  financial crises, 186
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br />   fire ants, 206–7

  Fitch, Tecumseh, 278

  fitness, 118–19, 121, 154, 229–30, 272

  flaking stone tools, 39–40

  Flores, island of, 34–35

  food sharing, 228–31

  Foré tribe, 310

  forgiveness, 190, 193–95

  fossil record, fossils, 2, 30, 32, 34, 37, 127, 156–57, 246

  4’33” (Cage), 132–33

  FOXP2 gene, 254, 277

  France, 156–57

  cave paintings in, 110–12, 168

  linguistic isolationism of, 57–58

  free will, 10, 273, 324–26

  French language, 57–58, 296, 297, 298, 300, 306

  Freud, Sigmund, 321–22, 323

  fruit flies, 262, 284

  Fuegians, 35, 61, 260

  fur, 256–61

  Gabbra tribe, viii, 52

  gametes, 5

  Gandhi, Mahatma, 193

  gazelles, 245

  stotting by, 214–15, 230

  gender differences, 316–24

  in endoparasites, 317–18, 319

  male vs. female dispersal in, 322–23, 324

  in reproductive potential, 260–61, 320–21

  sex chromosomes in, 318

  genes, 1–6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 19–27, 45–49, 64, 68, 73, 75–76, 77–78, 88, 133–34, 143, 152, 160, 205, 272, 276, 283–93, 303, 308–9, 352–53, 369

  for adult digestion of milk, 263–64

  alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh), 262

  alleles of, 126–27, 316–24

  altruist, 79–81, 85

  ASPM, 265

  bacterial exchange of, 3

  cooperation promoted by, 10–11

  determination vs. influence by, 114–15

  expression of, 134, 253, 254, 286–87, 320–24

  for eye color, 316

  FOXP2, 254, 277

  in gametes, 5

  greenbeard, 206–9, 211–18, 222

  group differences in, 48, 55–56

  growth factor receptor-bound protein 10 (Grb10), 324

  handicap principle and, 154–55

  human-Neanderthal shared, 24, 34, 38, 44

  insulin-like growth factor 2 (Igf2), 321

  interspecies sharing of, 284–85

  linked, 126–27

  lost by domesticated cells, 255

  melanocortin I receptor, 259–60

  memes vs., 21–26

  microcephalin, 265

  mitochondrial, 319

  mutations of, 239, 240, 253, 263–64, 295

  number of, 283–84

  of parasites, 20

  prion, 310

  proteins made by, 253, 286, 288

  recent common ancestry shown by, 4

  recombination of, 126

  for red hair, 34

  regulation of, 286–89

  as replicators, 12

  restricted flow of, 54–56

  selfish, 10–11

  similarity of, human near-extinction demonstrated by, 4

  of social insects, 71, 76, 77–78

  transposons in, 285–87

  Genesis, Book of, 157–58

  genetic enhancers, 133–34

  genetic factors, 33–34, 44, 59–62, 71, 202, 247, 251–66

 

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