Mixed messages : cultural and genetic inheritance in the constitution of human society /

Paul's intent is to stress the dual inheritance theory that extends Darwinian theories and methods from biology and population genetics to human and sociocultural life. Quantifying evolving trends, as seen through the author's extensive use of the HRAF (Human Relations Area Files) to show ethnographically how ideas are copied, perpetuated, and spread through specific cultures, extends Boyd and Richerson's use of the model. The convincing text is useful for understanding and explaining the depth and breadth of symbolic systems and how they evolve and are "passed on" from generation to generation. As Paul (Emory Univ.) so eloquently shows here, the "scientification" of ethnography provides a fascinating opportunity to bridge the divide in the discipline between socially grounded and biologically grounded practitioners. He argues that to see a complete account of human life, anthropology cannot be either/or, but must be both/and to be true to the subject matter. For students of anthropology as well as for biology students, so that what the author proposes can be accomplished. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. --Dawn M. Digrius, California State University