ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the unit of cultural micro-evolution is a cluster of interacting individuals who within the special conditions provided by period and culture make choices which set a direction-a channel-in which events tend to flow until other points of divergence are reached. It considers the specific cultural conditions under which a given innovation is made possible, as well as the way in which period, and provides a context in which clusters of individuals act. For evolutionary activity, each of these conditions is essential. People need accurate analyses of the particular cultural system in which we plan to work, analyses that focus on the particular cultural capacities for innovation and the particular cultural neutralities and actual blocks. Consequently, they need accurate analyses of the particular cultural system in which we plan to work, analyses that focus on the particular cultural capacities for innovation and the particular cultural neutralities and actual blocks.
