Cultural Evolution: People's Motivations are Changing, and Reshaping the World

Abstract

This book argues that people’s values and behavior are shaped by the degree to which survival is secure. For most of human history, survival was precarious, encouraging a heavy emphasis on group solidarity, xenophobia and deference to strong leaders. With the unprecedented economic growth and security of the postwar era, however, many populations in developed countries have shifted towards placing more value on self-expression and individual autonomy. This cultural shift, argues the author, has driven profound social and political changes, including the spread of democracy and the rise of environmentalism. However, the author also argues that recent decades have seen an authoritarian backlash, driven by factors such as growing income inequality and an influx of immigrants. Drawing on data from the World Values Survey and the European Values Study, the book analyzes these trends in detail and explores the implications of the shift from traditional survival values to self-expression values. – AI-generated abstract