Philosophy 85S: Evolution, Mind, and Culture Summer 2002, Stanford University
	Course description 3 units, Kenneth Reisman, Teaching Fellow, TTh 1:00-2:50. Since the time of Darwin, scientists have known that the mind is a product of evolution, but only recently have serious efforts been made to connect evolutionary theory with the study of the mind and of culture. On one hand, sociobiologists and evolutionary psychologists investigate how human psychology has been shaped by Darwinian evolution. On the other hand, work on cultural evolution (sometimes called "memetics") investigates how culture itself can evolve. These new fields are nothing if not controversial. What sorts of methods can shed light on the evolution of our own minds? How has the development of culture affected the course of human evolution? Is the study of how culture evolves a new science in its own right?