Niche construction, biological evolution, and cultural change

TLDR

Phenotypes play a more active role in evolution, and culture amplifies humans’ ability to modify natural selection, raising new questions about adaptation. We propose a conceptual model that maps the causal pathways relating biological evolution to cultural change. The model extends conventional evolutionary theory by emphasizing niche construction and incorporating ontogenetic and cultural processes. It illuminates hominid evolution, cultural evolution, altruism, and cooperation.

Abstract

We propose a conceptual model that maps the causal pathways relating biological evolution to cultural change. It builds on conventional evolutionary theory by placing emphasis on the capacity of organisms to modify sources of natural selection in their environment (niche construction) and by broadening the evolutionary dynamic to incorporate ontogenetic and cultural processes. In this model, phenotypes have a much more active role in evolution than generally conceived. This sheds light on hominid evolution, on the evolution of culture, and on altruism and cooperation. Culture amplifies the capacity of human beings to modify sources of natural selection in their environments to the point where that capacity raises some new questions about the processes of human adaptation.