Review of Cultural Evolution : Society , Technology , Language , and Religion

T Ernst Strüngmann Forum, whose mission is to promote interdisciplinary communication and research, brings together eminent scientists and scholars to discuss themes that transcend classic disciplinary boundaries. The forum, dedicated to cultural evolution offered a unique, powerful opportunity to explore how historical, biological, anthropological, and sociological insights into social structure can forge a framework for vigorous cross-disciplinary cultural research. Cultural Evolution: Society, Technology, Language and Religion, developed under the auspices of the forum, is no doubt essential reading for economists and any social scientists interested in the evolution of societies. Spanning as many as twenty different contributions, this fascinating volume concludes that four major aspects of human behavior—social systems, technology, language, and religion—can be better understood by adopting a cross-disciplinary perspective on cultural evolution. The book is a great tool for establishing the necessary connections across research areas, particularly useful for economists, since we often tend to do our research in relative isolation and with little interaction between established fields. In that respect, the book provides a unique opportunity to read the Review of Cultural Evolution: Society, Technology, Language, and Religion Edited by Peter J. Richerson and Morten H. Christiansen†