https://evolution-institute.org/project/society-for-the-study-of-cultural-evolution/
A New Society for the Study of Cultural Evolution
Why a new society?
Our capacity for culture stems from our ability to receive, process, integrate,
and transmit information across generations. The study of human culture and
cultural change has made great strides during the last few decades in fields
such as anthropology, computer science, evolutionary biology, neurobiology,
psychology, and sociology. Yet, the study of cultural change as an evolutionary
process, similar to genetic evolution but with its own inheritance mechanisms,
is only now becoming a central area of scientific inquiry that spans these
disciplines and holds much potential for academic integration.
Outside the Ivory Tower, all public policies attempt to accomplish cultural
change in a practical sense to reach their various objectives, yet they rarely
draw upon an explicit scientific theory of cultural change. A new society is
needed to catalyze the study of cultural change from a modern evolutionary
perspective, both inside and outside the Ivory Tower.
A recent EI workshop, “Advancing the Study of Cultural Evolution: Academic
Integration and Policy Applications,” laid the groundwork for the formation of
a society. The workshop was organized by Michele Gelfand, a cultural
psychologist at the University of Maryland, and EI President David Sloan
Wilson. The participants represented a melting pot of disciplines that need to
become integrated to create a science of cultural change informed by
evolutionary theory. They strongly endorsed the need for a society to
accomplish the objectives identified during the workshop.
What will the SSCE do?
We envision an activist society that does much more than publish a journal and
host an annual meeting. One of our first items of business will be to
collectively identify “Grand Challenges” in the study of cultural evolution;
these will define the agenda of the society. Then we will work toward the
creation of basic scientific research programs and practical initiatives to
tackle the Grand Challenges. We expect scientific research and real-world
solutions to go together through the creation of field sites for the study of
cultural evolution, similar to biological field sites.
Who should join the SSCE?
We encourage the following people to become founding members:
Academic professionals, graduate students, and undergraduate students from
any discipline relevant to cultural evolution. We especially encourage the next
generation of scientists to become involved.
Anyone (professional or nonprofessional) who is trying to accomplish
positive cultural change in the real world and who would like to base their
efforts on cultural evolutionary theory.
Anyone (professional or nonprofessional) with an intellectual interest in
cultural evolutionary theory who would like to get involved and support the
newly emerging field.
We are especially eager for our members to come from all cultures around
the world—an appropriate ideal for a Society for the Study of Cultural
Evolution!
What will happen right away?
When you become a founding member…
You will be added to our mailing list to receive regular communications.
You will be consulted, if you desire, to provide input in the creation of
bylaws for the society and important decisions concerning dues, an annual
conference, and a journal.
You can help us identify grand challenges for the study of cultural
evolution.
You can get involved in the projects that we create to tackle the grand
challenges.
We look forward to starting the SSCE with a diverse membership and to offer
both intellectual stimulation and practical knowledge for improving the quality
of life.
Please help us recruit founding members by bringing our invitation to the
attention of your friends and associates! We aim to be inclusive and diverse.
--
glen ep ropella -- 971-255-2847
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