title: Cultural group selection follows Darwin's classic syllogism for the operation of selection.
abstract: The main objective of our target article was to sketch the empirical case for the importance of selection at the level of groups on cultural variation. Such variation is massive in humans, but modest or absent in other species. Group selection processes acting on this variation is a framework for developing explanations of the unusual level of cooperation between non-relatives found in our species. Our case for cultural group selection (CGS) followed Darwin's classic syllogism regarding natural selection: If variation exists at the level of groups, if this variation is heritable, and if it plays a role in the success or failure of competing groups, then selection will operate at the level of groups. We outlined the relevant domains where such evidence can be sought and characterized the main conclusions of work in those domains. Most commentators agree that CGS plays some role in human evolution, although some were considerably more skeptical. Some contributed additional empirical cases. Some raised issues of the scope of CGS explanations versus competing ones.
authors: Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616. pjricherson@ucdavis.edu avhillis@ucdavis.edu lgnewson@ucdavis.edu lesleynewson@gmail.edu http://www.des.ucdavis.edu/faculty/richerson/richerson.htm http://vickenhillis.weebly.com https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lesley_Newson/
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Richerson
authors: Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616. ryanbaldini@gmail.com kjfrost@ucdavis.edu https://sites.google.com/site/ryanbaldini/ https://sites.google.com/site/karljosephfrost/
authors: Ryan
authors: R
authors: Baldini
authors: Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112. av.bell@gmail.com http://adrianbell.wordpress.com/
authors: Adrian V
authors: AV
authors: Bell
authors: Department of Anthropology, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725. kathryndemps@boisestate.edu http://sspa.boisestate.edu/anthropology/faculty-and-staff/kathryn-demps/
authors: Kathryn
authors: K
authors: Demps
authors: Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616. ryanbaldini@gmail.com kjfrost@ucdavis.edu https://sites.google.com/site/ryanbaldini/ https://sites.google.com/site/karljosephfrost/
authors: Karl
authors: K
authors: Frost
authors: Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616. pjricherson@ucdavis.edu avhillis@ucdavis.edu lgnewson@ucdavis.edu lesleynewson@gmail.edu http://www.des.ucdavis.edu/faculty/richerson/richerson.htm http://vickenhillis.weebly.com https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lesley_Newson/
authors: Vicken
authors: V
authors: Hillis
authors: School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287. sarah.mathew@asu.edu http://www.sarahmathew.net/Site/Home.html
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Mathew
authors: Department of Psychology, Dominican University of California, San Rafael, CA 94901. emily.newton@dominican.edu http://emilyknewton.weebly.com/
authors: Emily K
authors: EK
authors: Newton
authors: Department of Anthropology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616. nanaar@ucdavis.edu paul.smaldino@gmail.com http://www.smaldino.com/
authors: Nicole
authors: N
authors: Naar
authors: Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616. pjricherson@ucdavis.edu avhillis@ucdavis.edu lgnewson@ucdavis.edu lesleynewson@gmail.edu http://www.des.ucdavis.edu/faculty/richerson/richerson.htm http://vickenhillis.weebly.com https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lesley_Newson/
authors: Lesley
authors: L
authors: Newson
authors: Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 86501. ctross@ucdavis.edu http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xSugEskAAAAJ
authors: Cody
authors: C
authors: Ross
authors: Department of Anthropology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616. nanaar@ucdavis.edu paul.smaldino@gmail.com http://www.smaldino.com/
authors: Paul E
authors: PE
authors: Smaldino
authors: School of Economics, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. timothy.waring@maine.edu http://timwaring.wordpress.com/
authors: Timothy M
authors: TM
authors: Waring
authors: National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996. matt@zefferman.com http://www.zefferman.com/
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Zefferman
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012919:Social Behavior