So, Glen. Are you fur it or agin it? n
Nicholas S. Thompson Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology Clark University http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ -----Original Message----- From: Friam [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of glen ep ropella Sent: Monday, June 29, 2015 9:04 PM To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group Subject: [FRIAM] A New Society for the Study of Cultural Evolution 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 ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
