ABSTRACT
In the biological universe, evolution is driven by natural selection working on variations in the phenotypes of a life form. However, in the Modern Synthesis in biology, individuals are the unit of evolution; rather, it is the population of individuals and, more specially, their genes conceptualized as a gene pool that is evolving. The story of human evolution, then, shifts gradually at first and then with increasing frequency from Darwinian selection on individuals and the evolution of gene pools to sociocultural selection on the structural and cultural formations, such as groups and all of the structures built from groups and their cultures. Finally, the actions driving sociocultural evolution increasingly shift to the group or clusters of groups, where carrying capacities can be greatly expanded and intentional collective action can negate the importance of phenotypes while elevating strictly sociological forces inhering in culture and social structure.
