Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Centre for Cultural Evolution, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2021 Jul 5;376(1828):20200259. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0259. Epub 2021 May 17.
Cultural evolution theory has long been inspired by evolutionary biology. Conceptual analogies between biological and cultural evolution have led to the adoption of a range of formal theoretical approaches from population dynamics and genetics. However, this has resulted in a research programme with a strong focus on cultural transmission. Here, we contrast biological with cultural evolution, and highlight aspects of cultural evolution that have not received sufficient attention previously. We outline possible implications for evolutionary dynamics and argue that not taking them into account will limit our understanding of cultural systems. We propose 12 key questions for future research, among which are calls to improve our understanding of the combinatorial properties of cultural innovation, and the role of development and life history in cultural dynamics. Finally, we discuss how this vibrant research field can make progress by embracing its multidisciplinary nature. This article is part of the theme issue 'Foundations of cultural evolution'.
文化进化理论长期以来一直受到进化生物学的启发。生物进化和文化进化之间的概念类比导致了一系列从群体动力学和遗传学中采用的形式理论方法。然而，这导致了一个研究计划，其重点是文化传播。在这里，我们将生物进化与文化进化进行对比，并强调以前没有得到足够重视的文化进化的各个方面。我们概述了对进化动态的可能影响，并认为不考虑这些因素将限制我们对文化系统的理解。我们提出了 12 个未来研究的关键问题，其中包括呼吁提高我们对文化创新组合特性的理解，以及发展和生活史在文化动态中的作用。最后，我们讨论了这个充满活力的研究领域如何通过接受其多学科性质来取得进展。本文是主题为“文化进化基础”的特刊的一部分。
