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The Cultural Attraction Theory and its Empirical Evidence
Hillerová, Pavlína ; Havlíček, Jan (advisor) ; Horský, Jan (referee)
One of the approaches to study cultural evolution is the cultural attraction theory. This thesis aims to introduce this theory via literature analysis and subject it's empirical backing to a critique. The opening chapter briefly presents the theory and describes the circumstances of it's formation. Next, I outline the specific theoretical concepts (culture as a chain of representations, attractors, transformations). Mainly, the latter are complemented with empirical studies, both supporting and conflicting the respective theory. The last part of the thesis compares cultural attraction theory against dual inheritance theory, which has been contrasted by the aforementioned from the very beginning. Both of these perspectives have it's specifics and can provide an explanation for distinct cultural phenomena. These two theories can complement one another and together constitute an integral theory for cultural evolution study.
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Of ants and men. Myrmecological inspirations of anthropology in the work of V. J. A. Novák (1919-1997)
Hampl, Petr ; Stella, Marco (advisor) ; Hermann, Tomáš (referee)
The work presents life and work of Vladimir Jan Amos Novak, it shows his main thoughts unified by the principle of sociogenesis and points at its inspiration in older traditions of german and russian biology. It also concerns his anthropology as related to the principle of sociogenesis and shows some peculiar Novak's contributions, mainly his opinions on progessive neotenization of man and evolutionary tedency for association. It grasps the principle of sociogenesis as a biological and also a political concept and therefore shows its very political consequences presented mainly on his social thoughts. The work also deals with the relations between eastern and western science on Novák's efforts to unify all sciences under one universal evolutionary framework regardless its geographical belonging. Throughout the work is Novak shown in the context of man-animal relations and the principle of sociogenesis as arising from myrmecological studies. There are therefore presented anthropological works of three important myrmecologists A. Forel, W.M. Wheeler and E.O. Wilson as inspired in the study of ants.
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The Cultural Attraction Theory and its Empirical Evidence
Hillerová, Pavlína ; Havlíček, Jan (advisor) ; Horský, Jan (referee)
One of the approaches to study cultural evolution is the cultural attraction theory. This thesis aims to introduce this theory via literature analysis and subject it's empirical backing to a critique. The opening chapter briefly presents the theory and describes the circumstances of it's formation. Next, I outline the specific theoretical concepts (culture as a chain of representations, attractors, transformations). Mainly, the latter are complemented with empirical studies, both supporting and conflicting the respective theory. The last part of the thesis compares cultural attraction theory against dual inheritance theory, which has been contrasted by the aforementioned from the very beginning. Both of these perspectives have it's specifics and can provide an explanation for distinct cultural phenomena. These two theories can complement one another and together constitute an integral theory for cultural evolution study.
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The Role of Aggression in Human Evolution, 1963-2000. Authors, theories, contexts
Mydlová, Miriama ; Stella, Marco (advisor) ; Hroníková, Linda (referee)
Presented work is an overview of contemporary evolutionary biological theories of aggression, since the breakthrough works of Robert Ardrey and Konrad Lorenz from the 1960s and ending with contemporary evolutionary ethics of Robert Wright and Frans de Waal and also evolutionary anthropology, represented for example by Richard Wrangham. Work is highlighting the continuity of development of the theories and their placement into the context of evolutionary biology. In addition, it is dealing with critical analysis (in terms of discourse analysis) of these theories and their language, taking into account sociocultural influences acting on authors during their formation. It is the analysis of patterns of thinking, argumentation elements and strategies of authors, who deal with issues of the evolutionary background of the origin of human aggression. However, ambition of the second part is not the deconstruction of the theories. Contrarily it strives for positive, integrative approach. By categories of class, gender, race, etc. conditional misrepresentation (bias) of acquried data (e.g. by observation), their interpretation by authors themselves and their popularization, will be understood there as a factor entering into the assessment of theories, but it is not a priori considered as evidence of...
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Of ants and men. Myrmecological inspirations of anthropology in the work of V. J. A. Novák (1919-1997)
Hampl, Petr ; Stella, Marco (advisor) ; Hermann, Tomáš (referee)
The work presents life and work of Vladimir Jan Amos Novak, it shows his main thoughts unified by the principle of sociogenesis and points at its inspiration in older traditions of german and russian biology. It also concerns his anthropology as related to the principle of sociogenesis and shows some peculiar Novak's contributions, mainly his opinions on progessive neotenization of man and evolutionary tedency for association. It grasps the principle of sociogenesis as a biological and also a political concept and therefore shows its very political consequences presented mainly on his social thoughts. The work also deals with the relations between eastern and western science on Novák's efforts to unify all sciences under one universal evolutionary framework regardless its geographical belonging. Throughout the work is Novak shown in the context of man-animal relations and the principle of sociogenesis as arising from myrmecological studies. There are therefore presented anthropological works of three important myrmecologists A. Forel, W.M. Wheeler and E.O. Wilson as inspired in the study of ants.
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