It’s my assumption that humans were born cultural beings, so culture was central to human evolution. For example, natural selection would favor hunting groups that communicated well over groups that communicated poorly. Natural selection would favor groups that passed on to their children 100% of what they learned over groups that passed on to their children only 50% of what they learned. Many authorities in the field quibble with some of Dawkins’s ideas. Not being an authority in the field, I’m not really in a position to enter these controversies. As my mention of his work in the dedication of MY ISHMAEL indicates, I’ve learned a lot from him.

DATE: 28 Jun 1998
UPDATE: 28 Jun 1998
ID: 241