Details
| Originalsprache | Englisch |
|---|---|
| Seiten (von - bis) | 279-301 |
| Seitenumfang | 23 |
| Fachzeitschrift | Philosophy of the social sciences |
| Jahrgang | 54 |
| Ausgabenummer | 4 |
| Frühes Online-Datum | 18 Okt. 2023 |
| Publikationsstatus | Veröffentlicht - Juli 2024 |
Abstract
Recently there has been a rise in the application of concepts and methods from biological evolutionary theory to human cultures and societies where the aim is to explain these by describing them as population-level phenomena reducible to individual-level processes. I argue against this type of view by using Mesoudi's Cultural Evolution as a case study. I claim that Mesoudi’s ontological assumptions about cultures and societies are dubious and his methodological assumptions inadequate when it comes to addressing cultural and social phenomena. A consequence is that this approach to studying culture is, at the very least, incomplete and of limited application.
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
- Geisteswissenschaftliche Fächer (insg.)
- Philosophie
- Sozialwissenschaften (insg.)
- Sozialwissenschaften (sonstige)
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in: Philosophy of the social sciences, Jahrgang 54, Nr. 4, 07.2024, S. 279-301.
Publikation: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift › Artikel › Forschung › Peer-Review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Ontological and Methodological Limitations of Certain Cultural Evolution Approaches
AU - Valković, Martina
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2023.
PY - 2024/7
Y1 - 2024/7
N2 - Recently there has been a rise in the application of concepts and methods from biological evolutionary theory to human cultures and societies where the aim is to explain these by describing them as population-level phenomena reducible to individual-level processes. I argue against this type of view by using Mesoudi's Cultural Evolution as a case study. I claim that Mesoudi’s ontological assumptions about cultures and societies are dubious and his methodological assumptions inadequate when it comes to addressing cultural and social phenomena. A consequence is that this approach to studying culture is, at the very least, incomplete and of limited application.
AB - Recently there has been a rise in the application of concepts and methods from biological evolutionary theory to human cultures and societies where the aim is to explain these by describing them as population-level phenomena reducible to individual-level processes. I argue against this type of view by using Mesoudi's Cultural Evolution as a case study. I claim that Mesoudi’s ontological assumptions about cultures and societies are dubious and his methodological assumptions inadequate when it comes to addressing cultural and social phenomena. A consequence is that this approach to studying culture is, at the very least, incomplete and of limited application.
KW - cultural evolutionary theory
KW - individualism
KW - methodology
KW - reductionism
KW - social ontology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85174230889&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/00483931231208512
DO - 10.1177/00483931231208512
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85174230889
VL - 54
SP - 279
EP - 301
JO - Philosophy of the social sciences
JF - Philosophy of the social sciences
SN - 0048-3931
IS - 4
ER -