Abstract
Evolutionary thought developed more or less continuously in the life sciences since Darwin but experienced a case of arrested development in relation to human affairs. A serious effort to rethink the human-related academic disciplines didn’t gather steam until the late 20th century. Using evolutionary theory to inform public policy is more recent still. I will discuss what it means for evolution to serve as a general theoretical framework for public policy, in the same way as for the life sciences, based on my experience with the Evolution Institute, a think tank that I helped to start in 2007. The EI has developed a diverse portfolio of projects, including one on Norway as a case study of cultural evolution leading to an exceptionally high quality of life.
David Sloan Wilson
Home page at The Evolution Institute