Abstract
Durham’s (1991) dual inheritance theory of coevolution provides a coherent basis for applying Darwinian theory to socio-culture change. His theory rests on three hypotheses: (1) Decision making by individuals is the primary but not only cause of cultural evolution. Humans actively choose among alternative courses of action, when they are able; selection is based on evaluation of the consequences of different alternatives. Since knowledge is imperfect, the outcomes will be imperfect. Choices in cultural selection are made on the basis of learned cultural values. Cultural values are socially transmitted between individuals and generations. (2) The relationships between culture and genes are mediated through five modes. These modes constitute coevolution. (3) In general, “cultural variants which improve the reproductive fitness of their selectors will spread through a population by choice or imposition at the expense of alternative variants.”
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Ames, K.M. (1996). Archaeology, Style, and the Theory of Coevolution. In: Maschner, H.D.G. (eds) Darwinian Archaeologies. Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9945-3_7
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