as human beings are concerned, most of us will only go so far as to admit that individual people and traits evolve subject to the laws of natural selection: better eyes make for a better hunter, or higher sperm count makes for more plentiful offspring.
To say that culture, too, is subject to the laws of evolution assumes that human society is part of nature. Well, it is. Realizing this fact is half the battle. We invented most of our systems of thought and technological devices to shield us from the harsher realities of nature, but now, ironically, they appear to be forcing us to reckon with her once again. If we can't come to understand the fact that our personal evolution and survival is dependent on species survival, then the battle against our own extinction is already lost.
