Concepts from cultural attractor theory are now used in domains far from their original home in anthropology and cultural evolution. Yet these concepts have not been consistently characterised. I here distinguish four ways in which the cultural attractor concept has been used and identify three kinds of factors of attraction typically appealed to. Clarifying these explanatory concepts identifie...

This study investigated the structure of the Chinese Material Value Scale (MVS). A two-factor structure, rather than the original three-factor structure, was proposed for China by means of confirmatory factor analysis. Direct evidence showed that the dimensions of success and happiness could be merged together. Both explicit and implicit methods were used to examine the relationship between suc...

In this article, I argue that human social behavior is a product o f the eoevolution of human biology and culture. While critical o f attempts by anthropologists to explain cultural practices as i f they were independent o f the ability o f individual human beings to survive and reproduce, I am also leery of attempts by biologists to explain the consistencies between neo-Darwinian theory and cu...

Environmental problems have contributed to numerous collapses of civilizations in the past. Now, for the first time, a global collapse appears likely. Overpopulation, overconsumption by the rich and poor choices of technologies are major drivers; dramatic cultural change provides the main hope of averting calamity.

This paper contributes to the study of social change by considering boundary work as a dimension of cultural change. Drawing on the computer-assisted qualitative analysis of 73 formal speeches made by Donald Trump during the 2016 electoral campaign, we argue that his political rhetoric, which led to his presidential victory, addressed the white working class's concern with their declining posit...

Demography is increasingly being invoked to account for features of the archaeological record, such as the technological conservatism of the Lower and Middle Pleistocene, the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition, and cultural loss in Holocene Tasmania. Such explanations are commonly justified in relation to population dynamic models developed by Henrich [Henrich J (2004)Am Antiq69:197-214] an...

during last century and in a period of time called modern history of middle east, we have seen different changes in life of urban communities as whole, and urban and rural of the mentioned region in particular. the range and power of such changes has been in such a level that we can claim: it has changed the “life world” of people noticeably. among all parts of the region our field study (iran’...

The paper describes the change undergoing in maps and map-making, in the move from modern printed maps to digital, online maps, emphasizing the changing status of the cartographer and the changing nature of information represented on the maps. Taking Google Earth as its main example, the paper demonstrates the cultural changes embedded in this environment in terms of three main spatial themes: ...

Background: Findings and published statistical data show that the fertility rate and the tendency towards childbearing are decreasing in many countries, including Iran. Many personal, social, economic, and cultural factors can cause this decline. Nonetheless, cultural changes have flourished, among other factors in recent years. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the role of cultural cha...