%0 Journal Article
%A Micheletti, Alberto J. C.
%A Brandl, Eva
%A Mace, Ruth
%+ Max Planck Research Group Birth Rites - Cultures of Reproduction, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society
%T What is cultural evolution anyway? :
%G eng
%U https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-000A-66C8-2
%R 10.1093/beheco/arac011
%7 2022-04-01
%D 2022
%* Review method: peer-reviewed
%X The term cultural evolution has become popular in the evolutionary human sciences, but it is often unclear what is meant by it. This
is generating confusion and misconceptions that are hindering progress in the field. These include the claim that behavioral ecology
disregards culture. We argue that these misunderstandings are caused by the unhelpful use of term cultural evolution to identify both a
phenomenon—culture changing through time—and a theory to explain it—the potential role of cultural transmission biases in driving
this change. We illustrate this point by considering recently published influential studies and opinion pieces. If we are to avoid confu-
sion, the term cultural evolution is best reserved to identify the phenomenon of cultural change. This helps clarify that human behav-
ioral ecologists do not disregard culture, but instead have studied its evolution from the very beginning. Different approaches to the
study of human behavior can coexist and complement each other in the framework offered by Tinbergen’s four evolutionary questions.
Clarifying key terms is crucial to achieve this synthesis.
%K cultural evolution, cultural selection, cultural transmission, human behavioral ecology, inclusive fitness, Tinbergen’s
four questions.
%J Behavioral Ecology
%V 33
%N 4
%& 667
%P 667 - 669
%@ 1045-22491465-7279