Divergent Cumulative Cultural Evolution

TL;DR

This paper explores the conditions enabling divergent cultural evolution from biological evolution, emphasizing separate information storage and horizontal transfer, supported by a computational model demonstrating divergence under various selection pressures.

Contribution

It identifies key conditions for divergent cultural evolution and provides a computational model showing divergence under different selection scenarios.

Findings

Divergent cultural evolution occurs when cultural and genetic information are stored separately.

Horizontal transfer of cultural information is crucial for divergence.

Divergence is observed under both cooperative and competitive pressures.

Abstract

Divergent cumulative cultural evolution occurs when the cultural evolutionary trajectory diverges from the biological evolutionary trajectory. We consider the conditions under which divergent cumulative cultural evolution can occur. We hypothesize that two conditions are necessary. First that genetic and cultural information are stored separately in the agent. Second cultural information must be transferred horizontally between agents of different generations. We implement a model with these properties and show evidence of divergent cultural evolution under both cooperative and competitive selection pressures.