The imagined world made real
Henry Plotkin

Towards a natural science of culture.

Can the insights of science provide a proper understanding of human culture, or must the analysis of culture be left to the so-called human sciences – anthropology, psychology, or sociology?

The ability to share knowledge and beliefs is the pre-eminent characteristics of our species. Our lives are largely dictated by what our own culture tells us is fulfillment; and people die in wars fought because of culture. Science itself is a product of culture and the natural sciences are the most powerful forms of knowledge we have. From explanations of the origins of the universe to descriptions of the molecular structure of life, science has a spectacular record of achievement. Yet it has mostly failed to provide an understanding of human culture. The imagined world made real changes this by showing how a grasp of human evolution extends the reach of science. A proper understanding of the mind van at last Mary the biological and the social. Plotkin shows how nature and nurture entwine in the development of intelligence, with cultural inheritance itself proving to be a powerful force in human evolution.

Henry Plotkin describes the beginnings of a comprehensive natural science of culture, and hence the start of a truly general understanding of why people believe the things they believe and do what they do. Culture can now be seen as a natural extension and expression pf processes that are actually billions of years old.