EVOLUTION OF THE BIOSOCIAL WORLD

Abstract

This book explores the interaction between biology, sociology, and biosemiotics, emphasizing how biological and cultural processes intertwine to shape human evolution and social structures. At its core lies the theory of dual inheritance, which posits that genes and cultural elements interact in a continuous feedback loop, mutually influencing each other and contributing to cultural evolution.Cultural evolution is analyzed through mechanisms analogous to Darwinian and Lamarckian biological selection, highlighting how adaptive innovations are preserved while non-adaptive ones tend to disappear. Culture is not presented as something separate from biology but rather as an intrinsically integrated extension of it. Clear examples of this interaction include the development of human language, which enables the transmission of complex information and fosters cooperation, and the impact of tool use and cooked food on genetic and cultural evolution.Language plays a central role, described as a unique human capacity. With characteristics such as recursion and the ability to refer to absent objects, it has facilitated knowledge transmission and social complexity. Alongside this, the importance of mental simulation is emphasized—a skill to imagine hypothetical scenarios that is essential for social cognition and the evolution of cultural practices.The book also addresses how the selection of cultural groups, based on shared norms and values, promotes cooperation within communities. These norms are mostly adaptive, although they sometimes include counter-adaptive elements like superstitions, which may represent remnants of past practices.Finally, it examines the connection between human activities, biodiversity, and zoonotic diseases, highlighting how changes in ecosystems affect species interactions and disease transmission. From an interdisciplinary perspective, the text offers a holistic vision that links biological and cultural evolution to contemporary challenges faced by global societies.