Lumsden-Wilson theory of gene-culture coevolution.

A critique is presented of the Lumsden-Wilson theory [Lumsden, C. J. & Wilson, E. O. (1980) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77, 4382-4386] of the transmission of cultural traits. An analysis of the underlying assumptions and the mathematical nature of the theory clarifies its essentially reductionist and determinist qualities. The mathematical functions governing the transition probability that an individual member of a group of a specified size will switch from one trait to an alternative form of that trait is assumed to be genetically controlled although the single independent variable of this function, the number of individuals characterized by each of the two forms of the trait, is environmentally determined. The model assumes that the cultural properties of a society are simply the sum of the properties of the individuals; that each individual is equally influenced by every other member of the group; and that kinship structures, cultural institutions, and historical factors can be neglected.