Culture on the Edge of Chaos

Description

The author first introduces the basic framework for cultural algorithms and he then explains the social structure of a cultural system as a mechanism for the distribution of problem-solving information throughout a population. Three different models for social organizations are presented: the homogeneous (nuclear family), heterogeneous (expanded family), and subculture (descent groups) social models. The chapters that follow compare the learning capabilities of these social organizations relative to problems of varying complexity. The book concludes with a discussion of how the results can impact our understanding of social evolution. Front Matter ....Pages i-viii The Cultural Algorithm: Culture on the Edge of Chaos (Robert G. Reynolds)....Pages 1-11 Cultural Algorithm Framework (Robert G. Reynolds)....Pages 13-25 Modeling the Social Fabric (Robert G. Reynolds)....Pages 27-40 Generating Chaos (Robert G. Reynolds)....Pages 41-44 Social Metrics (Robert G. Reynolds)....Pages 45-51 The Cultural Engine: Putting Individuals to Work (Robert G. Reynolds)....Pages 53-57 Comparing Nuclear Family and Extended Family Social Organizations (Robert G. Reynolds)....Pages 59-76 The Power of Subcultures (Robert G. Reynolds)....Pages 77-100 Conclusions and Future Work (Robert G. Reynolds)....Pages 101-104 Back Matter ....Pages 105-108