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| List of Figures and Tables | |
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| Preface | |
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| Principles | |
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| Evolutionary Theory: An Introduction | |
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| The Family of Evolutionary Theories | |
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| Older and Newer Evolutionary Theories Compared | |
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| Why the Revival of Evolutionary Theory? | |
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| Aim and Plan of This Volume | |
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| Problem and Method | |
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| Epistemological Assumptions | |
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| Basic Units of Analysis | |
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| Dependent Variables: Characteristics of Individual Societies | |
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| Dependent Variables: Characteristics of Sets of Societies | |
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| Dependent Variables: Characteristics of the Global System of Societies | |
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| The Great Paradox | |
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| The Biological Foundations of Human Societies | |
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| Characteristics Humans Share with All Other Species | |
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| Characteristics Humans Share with Certain Other Species | |
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| Characteristics Unique to Humans | |
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| Evolution as the Cumulation of Information | |
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| The Nature of Human Nature | |
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| Constants and Variables: A Brief Excursus | |
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| Determinants of the Characteristics of Individual Societies: The Independent Variables | |
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| The Genetic System of Information | |
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| The Biophysical Environment | |
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| The Sociocultural Environment | |
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| The Neurological System of Information | |
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| The Cultural System of Information | |
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| Continuity and Change in Individual Societies: The Basic Dynamics of Societal Systems | |
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| Intrasocietal Selection | |
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| Human Societies as Imperfect Systems | |
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| Societal Progress, Stasis, and Regression | |
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| An Initial Model of the Determinants of the Characteristics of Individual Societies | |
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| Excursus: Toward Greater Specification of Fundamental Relationships-Four Equations | |
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| Characteristics of Sets of Societies | |
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| Mapping the Social Universe: A Taxonomy of Societies | |
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| Individual Societies and the Taxons | |
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| Hunting and Gathering Societies | |
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| Fishing Societies | |
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| Horticultural Societies | |
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| Agrarian Societies | |
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| Maritime Societies | |
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| Herding Societies | |
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| Industrial Societies | |
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| Postindustrial Societies? | |
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| Hybrid Societies | |
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| Special Theories in Retrospect | |
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| Excursus: Testing Ecological-Evolutionary Theory | |
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| Characteristics of the Global System of Societies | |
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| An Ecological-Evolutionary Model of the Global System | |
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| The Great Paradox Revisited | |
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| Historical Eras | |
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| Refining the Special Theories | |
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| The Evolution of the Evolutionary Process | |
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| Implications for Research | |
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| Ecological-Evolutionary Theory and Its Alternatives: A Comparison | |
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| Time Frame and Basic Unit(s) of Analysis | |
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| Independent Variables | |
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| Methodology and Epistemology | |
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| Parsonsian Evolutionism | |
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| Culturalism Materialism | |
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| World-System Theory | |
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| Modernization Theory | |
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| Historical Particularism | |
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| Retrospect and Prospect | |
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| Excursus: Further Notes on Technology and Ideology | |
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| Applications | |
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| Introduction to Part II | |
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| The Origins and Early Development of Ancient Israel | |
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| Early Efforts to Explain Israel's Origins | |
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| The Peasant Revolt Model | |
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| Questions Raised by Ecological-Evolutionary Theory | |
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| Biophysical Environment and Technology: Bases for a New Model of Israel's Origins | |
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| Premonarchic Israel as a Frontier Society | |
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| The Frontier Society and Peasant Revolt Models Compared | |
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| A Further Link in the Causal Chain | |
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| Ideology and the Exodus People | |
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| A Concluding Note | |
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| Excursus: A Related Development | |
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| The Rise of the West | |
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| Historical Perspective | |
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| Some Recent Explanations | |
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| "The Greatest Event Since the Creation of the World, Excluding the Incarnation and Death of Him Who Created It" | |
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| Other Treasure | |
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| Equations 3 and 4 Revisited | |
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| A Mental Experiment | |
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| Other Factors in the Rise of the West: The Larger Model | |
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| Technology's Role | |
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| The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism | |
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| Toward an Ecological-Evolutionary Model of the Rise of the West | |
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| Policy Implications | |
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| Trajectories of Development among Societies (coauthored with Patrick D. Nolan) | |
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| Industrializing Agrarian and Industrializing Horticultural Societies Compared | |
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| Data and Methods | |
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| Initial Findings | |
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| Possible Alternative Explanations of Findings | |
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| Conclusions | |
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| Cases in the Analysis | |
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| An Experiment That Failed | |
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| Ecological-Evolutionary Theory and the Marxist Experiments | |
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| Fatal Flaws in the Marxist Program | |
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| What Have We Learned from Marxist Experiments? What Might We Learn? | |
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| Epilogue | |
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| Retrospect and Prospect | |
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| Retrospect | |
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| An Agenda for Future Research | |
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| The Arts and Technological Innovation | |
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| Science and Technological Innovation | |
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| Religion and Technological Innovation | |
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| War and Human Nature | |
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| Population Growth and Quality of Life | |
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| The Social Impact of Advances in the Technologies of Health and Sanitation | |
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| Concluding Remarks | |
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| References | |
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| Index | |
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| About the Author | |