Gene-culture Coevolution
- There is widespread consensus that biological and cultural evolution are linked and proceed in parallel ("gene-culture coevolution")
- We take for granted that genes have evolved towards a better organism, and that humans are the most sophisticated organism that Nature has created so far on this planet
- It is, however, debatable if culture has also proceeded towards a better "organism". The kind of culture that wins is mass culture, not "high-brow"
culture. The most famous musicians are Elvis Presley, the
Beatles, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga, not the many (many) more
avantgarde composers.
- If culture is a superorganism, it is not clear that is evolving towards a more sophisticated form. It seems to be evolving in the opposite direction.
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