The evolution of human culture was about heterogenous responses to infectious disease….

culture, infectious disease, Randy Thornhill 1 Minute

Ethan Watters excellent long piece in Pacific Standard is here. The basic notion: our cultural mores result from different behavioral solutions to societal stress from infectious disease.  The author of this idea is University of New Mexico’s Randy Thornhill who is an evolutionary biologist. Thornhill has a new book coming out soon: The Parasite-stress Theory of Values and Sociality: Infectious Disease, History and Human Values Worldwide New York, NY: Springer. It looks like it’ll be a good read.

Published by jlolds

Native Angeleno, professor of Neuroscience and Public Policy at George Mason University

Published