manvir singh
@manvir.bsky.social
anthropologist at uc davis.
contributing writer at the new yorker.
author of SHAMANISM: THE TIMELESS RELIGION (knopf + allen lane).
contributing writer at the new yorker.
author of SHAMANISM: THE TIMELESS RELIGION (knopf + allen lane).
Oh, fascinating! I hadn't seen this paper. Will check it out.
October 21, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Oh, fascinating! I hadn't seen this paper. Will check it out.
Details: www.hmnh.harvard.edu/event/shaman...
Shamanism: The Timeless Religion | Harvard Museum of Natural History
www.hmnh.harvard.edu
September 5, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Details: www.hmnh.harvard.edu/event/shaman...
I've called this process "subjective selection" and argue that it drives much of cultural evolution, including the predictable development of these complex near-universal practices & beliefs.
Download: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Call for commentaries: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Download: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Call for commentaries: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Subjective selection, super-attractors, and the origins of the cultural manifold | Behavioral and Brain Sciences | Cambridge Core
Subjective selection, super-attractors, and the origins of the cultural manifold
www.cambridge.org
August 25, 2025 at 2:47 PM
I've called this process "subjective selection" and argue that it drives much of cultural evolution, including the predictable development of these complex near-universal practices & beliefs.
Download: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Call for commentaries: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Download: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Call for commentaries: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
The crux: For >100 yrs, functional explanations of culture have prioritized objective benefits (e.g., ritual X persists b/c it promotes cohesion). But this focus is misplaced. Traditions evolve foremost as people craft & retain traditions that appear to best satisfy their goals.
August 25, 2025 at 2:47 PM
The crux: For >100 yrs, functional explanations of culture have prioritized objective benefits (e.g., ritual X persists b/c it promotes cohesion). But this focus is misplaced. Traditions evolve foremost as people craft & retain traditions that appear to best satisfy their goals.
Thank you for reading the book! And for posting your thoughts about it. I'm glad that you've enjoyed it and found it useful.
August 12, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Thank you for reading the book! And for posting your thoughts about it. I'm glad that you've enjoyed it and found it useful.
Glad you enjoyed it!!
August 3, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Glad you enjoyed it!!