Cultural Evolution

Understanding how culture has and can evolve helps us see how we can consciously cultivate new cultures and contribute to a wiser, weller world.

Cultural Evolution is a new science that provides greater understanding of our collective development and potential. This is essential context for us to take aligned action that works to cultivate healthier societies and the paradigm shift we need. By the end of this page you will know:

What is cultural evolution and "culturology"
The factors that have and continue to shape our cultures and their success or failure
How WEIRD (western educated industrialized rich and democratice) and non-WEIRD cultures differ and what we can learn from both
Where we can go to next
Key resources and literature

What is Cultural Evolution and "Culturology"?

We use the term "culturology" for interdisciplinary field of cultural evolution and the broader study of culture and its change over time. This emerging field builds on existing fields such as anthropology, psychology economics, sociology and history.

It encompasses the examination of how culture shapes and influences human behavior, beliefs, values, norms, practices, and expressions. Through the analysis of different forms of cultural production, such as literature, art, music, language, rituals, this research supports the understanding of the development, and potential trajectory and impact of culture globally, locally and individually.

It plays an important role in uncovering the underlying meanings and influences that shape human experiences and societies, the development and evolution of culture, societies, human behavior and innovation and provides a deeper appreciation and comprehension of the diverse cultures that exist in the world.

Cultural Evolution: A New Discipline is Born Series

The best way to learn is through our Podcast Series. Through 4 episodes Harvard Professor Joseph Henrich takes us on a journey to better understand what makes humans successful, how culture both develops and impacts us on individual and societal levels, the fundamental differences between those who are WEIRD and those who aren't, and how family, religion and psychological factors have all played a significant role in developing and influencing cultural development.

This is a deep dive into a wide range of subjects, including the concept of "cultural dark matter," the influence of religion and rituals on society, the role of trust and cooperation, the potential for tracking cultural innovation, the challenges of balancing individualism and collectivism, the potential for cross-fertilization among different intentional communities and more!

We are left contemplating where do we go from here, as we discover the potential for this research area to gain even deeper traction in supporting the development of a wiser, weller world.

Listen to all the episodes here

Watch the episodes on YouTube

Episode 1 Joseph Henrich and the Emergence of a (Rigorous) Culturology

Episode 2 Professor Joseph Henrich on Homo Sapiens: The Cultural Species

Episode 3 Joseph Henrich and Cultural Evolution: Culture, Cultural Evolution and the Scaling of Societies

Episode 4 Joseph Henrich and Cultural Evolution: Implications and What's Next

About Professor Henrich

Professor Joe Henrich is a Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is author of several books, most recently 'The Weirdest People in the World' and 'The Secret of Our Success'. His research focuses on evolutionary approaches to psychology, decision-making and culture, and includes topics related to cultural learning, cultural evolution, culture-gene coevolution, human sociality, prestige, leadership, large-scale cooperation, religion and the emergence of complex human institutions.

About Rufus (the interviewer)

Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com