Evolutionary social theory

This chapter will look at explanations in social theory of an evolutionary character. It will review some major theoretical approaches that use an evolutionary frame to identify one of the ways in which systems concepts have been central to social explanation. Spencer’s, Parsons’s, and Luhmann’s approaches will be used to reflect on issues of structure, function, stability, and change and to distinguish between developmental and mechanism of change explanations. The chapter will acknowledge the notion of direction, without the necessity for explanation in terms of linear accounts. Our purpose is to identify issues raised in discussions of social systems over time that can engage with concepts of systems as dynamic and emergent, recognizing the reality of intersecting systems and the significance of co-evolution.

Biology · Evolutionary biology · Sociology · Critical Realism in Sociology · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior