ABSTRACT
In this chapter I consider the cultural level of analysis and its influence on human behavior. This is also a huge field, worthy of a book (or many books) in itself. Thus again, of necessity, I confine myself to just a few important issues. First, I consider some definitions of culture, pointing out recent trends to define it in terms of socially transmitted mental contents and cognitive processes, rather than as particular social traditions or patterns of social behavior. Next, I consider the epistemological status of the cultural level of analysis. Does culture have its own unique sphere of influence, or might its effects instead be reducible to effects of lower levels of analysis, such as genetic constitution, cognitive process, individual personality, or social interaction (see Fig. 2.1)? By considering the relationship between cultural evolution and genetic evolution, I try to show that culture, located at the top of the Fig. 2.1 hierarchy, has legitimate causal status. Next, I consider some important dimensions of cultural difference, in particular, the distinction between individualism and collectivism. I try to demonstrate the adaptive advantages and disadvantages of each of these cultural modes for its members, using a game-theory perspective. After having laid this groundwork, in the last part of the chapter I consider the question of optimal human being as seen from the cultural perspective. How does the “optimal human” relate and contribute to his or her culture, at the same time that he or she is fundamentally influenced by it? Also, is there such a thing as optimal cultural being? If so, what characterizes it?
