PSYC14H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, Cultural Evolution
Document Summary
Biological evolution: replication of genes: natural selection. Biological genes analogous to cultural memes (idea). Its analogus because of 3 things: longevity (life over a long period of time, survive over replication), fecundity (has to do with popularity. Popularity of genes make them more likely to be replicated/ transmitted to more people)), and fidelity (accuracy) Cultural evolution: replication of ideas: communicable ideas spread. Memes have to easily be transmitted to other people, has to make sense. Have to have proximity to talk to people, have to be communicable: useful ideas spread. Humans want to help other people and want to share things with other people: emotional ideas spread. Are repeated again and again (communal: minimally counterintuitive ideas spread. Fairy tails, living in a tower with magical hair. Minimally counterintuitive things are interesting and are repeated even though they"re not true. They were usually nomadic: travel from place to place when resource"s were exhausted. Most activities occurred in highly social contexts.
