tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22093933.post6166553765488739044..comments2009-06-30T14:03:49.921-04:00Comments on Deric Bownds' MindBlog: On becoming cultural - models for evolution of hum...Derichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617204535017208765noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22093933.post-75095855658582696592009-06-30T14:03:49.921-04:002009-06-30T14:03:49.921-04:00Can you talk of cultural complexity in the stone a...Can you talk of cultural complexity in the stone age? The only kind of culture in that time besides the making of stone tools is related to language - the first writing systems appeared much later about 3000 BC, and caused an explosion of cultural evolution. Here it makes sense to examine the emergence of cultural complexity. There is an interesting model from Robert Axelrod about the emergence of cultural complexity (named "The Dissemination of Culture: A Model with Local Convergence and Global Polarization").<br /><br />Can you talk of tolerance in the stone age? Hardly. Apparently tolerance towards strangers appeared together with language and culture. If this is true, then the question whether ancestral humans were largely "peaceful" or "warlike" is a moot question.jofrhttp://blog.cas-group.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22093933.post-59762653364649768582009-06-30T09:20:39.909-04:002009-06-30T09:20:39.909-04:00In the first paragraph of the quoted clip from Mac...In the first paragraph of the quoted clip from Mace's review the combination of two words "cultural traits" is used consistently. Is it not the same thing as "memes" coined by Prof. Dawkins and expanded by Sue Blackmore and others?ramesamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670447320400400816noreply@blogger.com