Unification of Biological and Cultural Evolution through Natural Periodization

This chapter presents a groundbreaking exploration of the unification of biological and cultural evolution through the lens of a general evolutionary theory. It begins by addressing the central aim of Big History, which seeks to understand the essential mechanisms that have shaped the world as we know it. The text delves into the limitations of Darwin's theory, which primarily explains biological evolution but falls short in addressing cultural evolution. It introduces the concept of a general evolutionary theory that encompasses both biological and cultural evolution, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding the evolution of life from the formation of the Earth to the present and future. The chapter discusses various theories and debates surrounding cultural evolution, including universal Darwinism, dual inheritance theory, and memetics, and highlights the ongoing debate about the parallels between biological and cultural evolution. It introduces the concept of natural periodization, which divides the evolution of life into distinct ages based on the emergence of new information technologies. Each age is characterized by the development of new storage, duplication, and processing technologies, which have driven the acceleration of evolution. The chapter also explores the role of targeted variation mechanisms, such as imitation, learning, and teaching, in accelerating evolutionary processes. It concludes by discussing the potential for a singular point in the future, where the rate of evolution may undergo a qualitative change, and the implications of this for the future of life on Earth. This chapter offers a unique and comprehensive perspective on the evolution of life, integrating biological and cultural evolution into a single, unified framework.