Family observing fossils under a comet, illustrating cultural evolution.

Unlocking Culture: How Darwin's Natural Selection Shapes Our Societies

Theo Raines monogram
Theo Raines in Culture & Society September 2026 • 3 min read.

"Explore the surprising parallels between biological evolution and cultural development, and discover how understanding this connection can revolutionize our approach to cultural studies."


The study of culture often begins with individual expression or creative activity, but culture's origins lie elsewhere. Charles Darwin connected culture and evolution, noting that community opinion shapes individual action. Our regard for approval and disapproval depends on sympathy, an essential part of our social instinct.

Darwin's causal sequence is sympathy leading to social instinct, then community, language, common opinion, and individual action. Evolved traits enable sympathy, followed by an instinct for sociality. Language and culture express this instinct, leading to individual action guided by group values. Individuality stems from sociality, and language precedes individual action.

Darwin noted the importance of praise and blame in shaping cultural evolution. He sketched a model where individual moral sense develops into a communal standard of morality, originating in social instincts and guided by reason, self-interest, religion, instruction, and habit. In short, culture sets the rules for individual action, a view modern evolutionary biology is returning to.

AI Search Multiple angles on this topic

Natural Selection as the Most Accurate Theory of Origin

Evolution by natural selection is now widely agreed to be the most accurate theory to explain the origin and diversity of species. Sociocultural evolution builds on this foundation as a family of theories describing how societies and culture change over time. Together these ideas give modern audiences a framework for understanding both biological and social change.

Intentional versus Unintentional Selection

Darwin popularised the term "natural selection" by contrasting it with artificial selection, which is intentional, whereas natural selection is not. For Darwin, natural selection operated as a law or principle whose results emerged without deliberate human direction. This distinction remains a central limitation of simple analogies between farming, breeding, and the evolution of societies.

Darwin's 1859 Landmark Publication

Darwin published his theory in "On the Origin of Species" in 1859, presenting natural selection as the mechanism behind biological evolution. The term Darwinism came to describe this theory of biological evolution developed by Darwin and his contemporaries. His observations of biological diversity, such as those captured in studies of Darwin's finches, formed the empirical core of the theory.

The Parallels Between Nature and Culture

Family observing fossils under a comet, illustrating cultural evolution.

Darwin saw the relations between nature and culture as 'curiously parallel,' noting that languages (culture) and species (nature) both evolve through natural selection. The formation of languages and distinct species follows a gradual process. He claimed that the explanation for changes in languages mirrors that of changes in species.

Darwin suggested that the study of languages, and thus culture, is an evolutionary science. This book takes up that challenge, calling the result 'cultural science.' It rethinks culture as an evolutionary process, going beyond applying knowledge about the origin of species to culture. The aim is to understand culture's evolutionary basis. Karl Popper calls this a bold hypothesis: culture evolves by natural selection.

  • Culture and nature evolve similarly.
  • Culture evolves through natural selection.
  • Study culture as an evolutionary process.
  • Darwin's ideas need a fresh examination.
AI Search Multiple angles on this topic

Toward a Unified Science of Cultural Evolution

Recent scholarship argues for a unified science of cultural evolution that draws on cultural anthropology, cultural transmission, evolutionary archaeology, and evolutionary biology. Researchers integrate concepts such as gene-culture coevolution, memes, and social learning to explain how culture evolves. This work aims to connect parallel findings across disciplines into a single explanatory framework.

Misuse, Challenge, and the Social Darwinism Caution

Sociocultural evolution theory is consistently being challenged, in part because Darwin's theory was a scientific theory focused on explaining observations about biological diversity, not society. Herbert Spencer and others nevertheless applied evolutionary ideas to human societies, producing the distorted doctrine known as Social Darwinism. Critics note that applying biological selection to social order has historically justified harmful imperial and political projects.

Darwinism versus Neo-Darwinism

Classical Darwinism describes biological evolution developed by Darwin and his contemporaries, while Neo-Darwinism explains how these processes occur at the gene and DNA level. The modern view questions whether Neo-Darwinism is complete. This comparison highlights how evolutionary theory has deepened from observing organisms to understanding the molecular mechanisms of heredity and selection.

Anthropology has focused on traditional societies' cultures, while cultural studies examines contemporary societies, especially modern, competitive industrial nations. This includes literary culture, the creative and performing arts, working toward a definition based on that perception. That line of inquiry persisted into the contemporary period as literature, a running conversation among authors who were themselves significant literary figures.

Linking Evolution and Culture

Dyce's painting captures the moment when evolution and culture linked in public thought. The cliffs, comet, and shells allude to ancient processes against daily experience. The painting ties lumbering processes of ancient earth to the here-and-now of daily experience. We can make the study of culture into an evolutionary science by following these links.

AI Search Multiple angles on this topic

Cultural Evolution in the Social Sciences

Cultural evolution refers to the development of cultures from simple to complex forms. Studied in social science, it provides insights into modern societies by examining how cultures change over time. Sociocultural evolutionism describes how societies and culture change over time through the permanent interplay of social order and cultural forces.

Completeness and the Next Questions

A key open question is whether Neo-Darwinism is complete, since it explains processes at the gene and DNA level but may not fully capture cultural dynamics. Future work aims at a unified science of cultural evolution integrating fields such as social learning and memes. Such a synthesis could link biological and cultural change into a single evolutionary account.

The Interplay of Social Order and Cultural Evolution

Sociocultural evolution theory examines the permanent interplay between the evolution of the social order and cultural change over time. Despite being consistently challenged, it remains a framework for understanding how societies develop. The systemic challenge is separating scientific evolutionary reasoning from ideological claims about social progress.

Survival, Society, and Everyday Life

Natural selection shapes organism survival, and its key concepts are now part of core education, such as Grade 12 Life Sciences curricula. Unlike artificial selection, which is intentional, natural selection operates without deliberate direction, which affects how people understand human agency in society. Recognizing this helps societies use evolutionary thinking responsibly rather than as a justification for social engineering.

About this Article -

Written with AI assistance from published research, and reviewed by the Mystum team. See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

1

How did Charles Darwin explain the relationship between community opinion and individual action?

According to Charles Darwin, individual actions are influenced by community opinion. He proposed a sequence where sympathy leads to social instinct, forming the basis for community, language, and common opinion. This ultimately shapes individual action, suggesting that individuality arises from sociality, and language precedes individual behavior.

2

What parallels did Darwin draw between the evolution of nature and culture, particularly in the context of languages and species?

Darwin drew parallels between the evolution of languages (culture) and species (nature), suggesting both evolve through natural selection. He posited that changes in languages could be explained similarly to changes in species, implying that the study of culture could be approached as an evolutionary science. This perspective advocates for understanding the evolutionary basis of culture.

3

In what ways did Darwin believe praise and blame shaped cultural evolution, and what are the implications of this perspective for understanding morality and social rules?

Darwin highlighted praise and blame as critical in cultural evolution, suggesting a communal standard of morality evolves from individual moral sense. This development originates in social instincts and is influenced by reason, self-interest, religion, instruction, and habit. The implications are that culture establishes the rules for individual action, a viewpoint gaining traction in modern evolutionary biology. This perspective could influence everything from legal systems to social expectations and how we understand moral development.

4

What is the difference between the focus of Anthropology versus the focus of cultural studies, and what would happen if these fields converged?

Anthropology has traditionally focused on the cultures of traditional societies, whereas cultural studies often examines contemporary societies, particularly modern industrial nations. The convergence could lead to a more holistic understanding of cultural evolution, combining insights from traditional cultural practices with contemporary societal dynamics. Further study in convergence can reveal a broader, more integrated view of cultural development across different societal contexts.

5

How does Dyce's painting connect evolution and culture, and what does this connection imply for the study of culture as an evolutionary science?

Dyce's painting represents a pivotal moment where evolution and culture connected in public consciousness. The depiction of ancient processes alongside daily experiences suggests an effort to link the vast timescales of Earth's history with the immediate realities of human life. Following these links could transform the study of culture into an evolutionary science, bridging the gap between historical processes and present-day cultural phenomena.

Newsletter Subscribe

Subscribe to get the latest articles and insights directly in your inbox.