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Forget fittest, it's survival of the most cultured

By David Sloan Wilson

29 February 2012

See more: An illustrated version of this article will be published within the next two weeks on our CultureLab books and arts blog

Evolutionary biologist Mark Pagel enters tricky terrain to argue that social structures are key to human evolution in Wired for Culture

FOR decades, proponents of the power of culture in human development have been tribal enemies of those who champion the power of evolution. The former have been vilified for portraying humans as blank slates; the latter scorned for embracing genetic determinism. The middle ground was no-man’s-land.

Now, at last, the war might be over. A consensus…

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