Hunter-Gatherers: Problems in Theory

Abstract

In this concluding chapter, we discuss the important difference between theories that focus on consequences and ones that focus on processes. Most theories in anthropology rest on generalizations about consequences and, as such, cannot be reconciled with the natural sciences or a Darwinian approach to hunter-gatherers. The neo-Darwinian theories presented in the previous chapters are theories of processes that allow for a truly evolutionary approach to cultural change in which ideas and the motives of individuals—the most distinctive part of the thing we call culture—have an active part and in which selection can play a definable role. Human behavioral ecology and cultural transmission theory differ primarily in the locus and mode of operation of the opposing forces of selection and reproduction.