Evolutionary Mechanism

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Jim O'Shaughnessy, along with Brett Andersen, discussed evolutionary mechanisms in the context of cultural evolution. Andersen gave examples of how certain cultural practices, such as taboos about foods during pregnancy or complex food processing traditions, can evolve even if people aren't consciously aware of their underlying reasons. These practices likely emerged and were passed down because they provided survival advantages, such as avoiding toxic foods or detoxifying harmful plants, making the groups that observed these practices more successful. Over time, these cultural behaviors became ingrained without any explicit understanding of their benefits, similar to how complex biological traits, like an eye, evolve through natural selection 1.

Evolutionary Taboos

Brett discusses how cultural evolution can shape taboos and practices, even if people don't have a conscious understanding of them. He gives examples of pregnancy food taboos and food processing practices, and how they can be explained through the process of selection.
Infinite Loops 2022
Ep.139 — Intimations of a New World Worldview w/ Tom Morgan & Brett Andersen
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