The paper is due to be published in The Psychologist October 2021 edition. Below is the opening section.
"While evolution is closely associated with how genes and species change across generations, there is growing recognition that it is more than just a genetic process. Today, it is increasingly understood that evolution occurs within and across four distinct inheritance streams - genetic, epigenetic, learning and cultural - and on different levels of organisation. Once we move beyond a ‘gene-centric’ view of evolution, we can begin to integrate findings from adjoining fields to produce a more expansive picture of the dynamic ecosystem in which life evolves. When we do this, every aspect of life comes within the purview of evolution science, including how we learn, why we cooperate, and how cultures change.
When we extend evolution science in this way, it becomes more relevant than ever. No longer is it solely about the gradual accumulation of genetic changes across the generations, it is happening in the here and now as we learn and interact with each other. Extending our thinking about evolution has immediate practical implications. It enables evolutionary principles to be applied to some of our world’s most pressing challenges, like how to response to COVID-19 and climate change. Indeed, this is already happening and Darwin’s ideas are being actively used to help build a more prosocial world."
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