Disentangling the evolutionary drivers of social complexity: a comprehensive test of hypotheses
During the Holocene, the scale and complexity of human societies increased markedly. Generations of scholars have proposed different theories explaining this expansion, which range from broadly functionalist explanations, focusing on the provision of public goods, to conflict theories, emphasizing t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Association for the Advancement of Science
2022
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| _version_ | 1797107301296898048 |
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| author | Turchin, P Whitehouse, H Gavrilets, S Hoyer, D François, P Bennett, BS Benam, M |
| author_facet | Turchin, P Whitehouse, H Gavrilets, S Hoyer, D François, P Bennett, BS Benam, M |
| author_sort | Turchin, P |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | During the Holocene, the scale and complexity of human societies increased markedly. Generations of scholars have proposed different theories explaining this expansion, which range from broadly functionalist explanations, focusing on the provision of public goods, to conflict theories, emphasizing the role of class struggle or warfare. To quantitatively test these theories, we develop a general dynamical model based on the theoretical framework of cultural macroevolution. Using this model and Seshat: Global History Databank, we test 17 potential predictor variables proxying mechanisms suggested by major theories of sociopolitical complexity (and >100,000 combinations of these predictors). The best-supported model indicates a strong causal role played by a combination of increasing agricultural productivity and invention/adoption of military technologies (most notably, iron weapons and cavalry in the first millennium BCE). |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:12:36Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:a06cf552-439b-4891-afbd-1f13ec1ed21c |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:12:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:a06cf552-439b-4891-afbd-1f13ec1ed21c2022-07-11T09:42:11ZDisentangling the evolutionary drivers of social complexity: a comprehensive test of hypothesesJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:a06cf552-439b-4891-afbd-1f13ec1ed21cEnglishSymplectic ElementsAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science2022Turchin, PWhitehouse, HGavrilets, SHoyer, DFrançois, PBennett, BSBenam, MDuring the Holocene, the scale and complexity of human societies increased markedly. Generations of scholars have proposed different theories explaining this expansion, which range from broadly functionalist explanations, focusing on the provision of public goods, to conflict theories, emphasizing the role of class struggle or warfare. To quantitatively test these theories, we develop a general dynamical model based on the theoretical framework of cultural macroevolution. Using this model and Seshat: Global History Databank, we test 17 potential predictor variables proxying mechanisms suggested by major theories of sociopolitical complexity (and >100,000 combinations of these predictors). The best-supported model indicates a strong causal role played by a combination of increasing agricultural productivity and invention/adoption of military technologies (most notably, iron weapons and cavalry in the first millennium BCE). |
| spellingShingle | Turchin, P Whitehouse, H Gavrilets, S Hoyer, D François, P Bennett, BS Benam, M Disentangling the evolutionary drivers of social complexity: a comprehensive test of hypotheses |
| title | Disentangling the evolutionary drivers of social complexity: a comprehensive test of hypotheses |
| title_full | Disentangling the evolutionary drivers of social complexity: a comprehensive test of hypotheses |
| title_fullStr | Disentangling the evolutionary drivers of social complexity: a comprehensive test of hypotheses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disentangling the evolutionary drivers of social complexity: a comprehensive test of hypotheses |
| title_short | Disentangling the evolutionary drivers of social complexity: a comprehensive test of hypotheses |
| title_sort | disentangling the evolutionary drivers of social complexity a comprehensive test of hypotheses |
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