Households and communities: evolution in Homo sapiens

Abstract

ABSTRACTRecent developments in the theory of social evolution give support to arguments that the overall pattern of human evolution can effectively be seen through three linked but sequential mechanisms of biological, cultural, and social evolution. This framework is applied in an overview of the intimate group (for residence) and the community (for group defense) within primate species. For Homo sapiens, the intimate group took the form of a household led by a pairbonded couple. The essay, following introductory remarks, narrates the intimate groups and community groups within hominin species that preceded Homo sapiens, as they developed through the natural selection of biological evolution. Then basic models are reviewed for evolution of individual and group behavior in biological evolution and also in the regimes of cultural and social evolution, as expressed in terms of Darwinian variation, reproduction, and selection. The processes of emergence and transformation in the human household are then traced in theory and narrative, for overlapping eras of biological, cultural, and social evolution, and by expansion in social scale including agriculture and industry. Overall, the essay emphasizes long-term transfer of laborers from household to community sectors, expanding the characteristic productivity of each sector. It shows that the human household remains parallel to the intimate social structures of other primates but that it has become greatly distinctive because of its ability to bring numerous offspring to adulthood.