To examine the importance of kin selection in shaping human societies, this study analyzed the kinship system practicedin traditional China for two millennia and teased apart its underlying genetic and other, presumab...To examine the importance of kin selection in shaping human societies, this study analyzed the kinship system practicedin traditional China for two millennia and teased apart its underlying genetic and other, presumably cultural, components.The results demonstrate that, in the traditional patrilineal Chinese family, both genetic relatedness and the cultural factor of generationwere important in determining kinship status for male agnates (genetically related relatives). For female agnates, however,only genetic relatedness was important. Another surprising finding was that the influence of gender was not as important asgenetic relatedness. The most interesting finding in this study, however, was that kin selection and culture (i.e., seniority in generationand age) played vastly different roles in different lineages in the Chinese family: for collateral (indirect) agnates, geneticrelatedness was the most important factor in determining their kinship status, but for lineal (direct) agnates, its importance wasoverridden by seniority in generation and age, a cultural factor. Several other bio-cultural factors also explained a considerableamount of variance in kinship status. Since kinship profoundly affected, and was often the foundation of, the legal and social systemsin dynastic China, kin selection, while its strength may differ remarkably between lineal and collateral relatives, could act asa selective force in Chinese展开更多
The paper posits that kin sociality and eusociality are derived from the handicap-care principles based on the need-based care to the handicappers from the caregivers for the self-interest of the caregivers. In this p...The paper posits that kin sociality and eusociality are derived from the handicap-care principles based on the need-based care to the handicappers from the caregivers for the self-interest of the caregivers. In this paper, handicap is defined as the difficulty to survive and reproduce independently. Kin sociality is derived from the childhood handicap-care principle where the children are the handicapped children who receive the care from the kin caregivers in the inclusive kin group to survive. The caregiver gives care for its self-interest to reproduce its gene. The individual’s gene of kin sociality contains the handicapped childhood and the caregiving adulthood. Eusociality is derived from the adulthood handicap-care principle where responsible adults are the handicapped adults who give care and receive care at the same time in the interdependent eusocial group to survive and reproduce its gene. Queen bees reproduce, but must receive care from worker bees that work but must rely on queen bees to reproduce. A caregiver gives care for its self-interest to survive and reproduce its gene. The individual’s gene of eusociality contains the handicapped childhood-adulthood and the caregiving adulthood. The chronological sequence of the sociality evolution is individual sociality without handicap, kin sociality with handicapped childhood, and eusociality with handicapped adulthood. Eusociality in humans is derived from bipedalism and the mixed habitat. The chronological sequence of the eusocial human evolution is 1) the eusocial early hominins with bipedalism and the mixed habitat, 2) the eusocial early Homo species with bipedalism, the larger brain, and the open habitat, 3) the eusocial late Homo species with bipedalism, the largest brain, and the unstable habitat, and 4) extended eusocial Homo sapiens with bipedalism, the shrinking brain, omnipresent imagination, and the harsh habitat. The omnipresence of imagination in human culture converts eusociality into extended eusociality with both perception and omnipresent imagination.展开更多
文摘To examine the importance of kin selection in shaping human societies, this study analyzed the kinship system practicedin traditional China for two millennia and teased apart its underlying genetic and other, presumably cultural, components.The results demonstrate that, in the traditional patrilineal Chinese family, both genetic relatedness and the cultural factor of generationwere important in determining kinship status for male agnates (genetically related relatives). For female agnates, however,only genetic relatedness was important. Another surprising finding was that the influence of gender was not as important asgenetic relatedness. The most interesting finding in this study, however, was that kin selection and culture (i.e., seniority in generationand age) played vastly different roles in different lineages in the Chinese family: for collateral (indirect) agnates, geneticrelatedness was the most important factor in determining their kinship status, but for lineal (direct) agnates, its importance wasoverridden by seniority in generation and age, a cultural factor. Several other bio-cultural factors also explained a considerableamount of variance in kinship status. Since kinship profoundly affected, and was often the foundation of, the legal and social systemsin dynastic China, kin selection, while its strength may differ remarkably between lineal and collateral relatives, could act asa selective force in Chinese
文摘The paper posits that kin sociality and eusociality are derived from the handicap-care principles based on the need-based care to the handicappers from the caregivers for the self-interest of the caregivers. In this paper, handicap is defined as the difficulty to survive and reproduce independently. Kin sociality is derived from the childhood handicap-care principle where the children are the handicapped children who receive the care from the kin caregivers in the inclusive kin group to survive. The caregiver gives care for its self-interest to reproduce its gene. The individual’s gene of kin sociality contains the handicapped childhood and the caregiving adulthood. Eusociality is derived from the adulthood handicap-care principle where responsible adults are the handicapped adults who give care and receive care at the same time in the interdependent eusocial group to survive and reproduce its gene. Queen bees reproduce, but must receive care from worker bees that work but must rely on queen bees to reproduce. A caregiver gives care for its self-interest to survive and reproduce its gene. The individual’s gene of eusociality contains the handicapped childhood-adulthood and the caregiving adulthood. The chronological sequence of the sociality evolution is individual sociality without handicap, kin sociality with handicapped childhood, and eusociality with handicapped adulthood. Eusociality in humans is derived from bipedalism and the mixed habitat. The chronological sequence of the eusocial human evolution is 1) the eusocial early hominins with bipedalism and the mixed habitat, 2) the eusocial early Homo species with bipedalism, the larger brain, and the open habitat, 3) the eusocial late Homo species with bipedalism, the largest brain, and the unstable habitat, and 4) extended eusocial Homo sapiens with bipedalism, the shrinking brain, omnipresent imagination, and the harsh habitat. The omnipresence of imagination in human culture converts eusociality into extended eusociality with both perception and omnipresent imagination.
