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Goals, power, and selection: Foundational issues in the naturalistic study of culture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2026

Manvir Singh Open the ORCID record for Manvir Singh [Opens in a new window]
Manvir Singh*
Affiliation:
University of California Davis, Davis, USA manvir.manvir@gmail.com
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

The commentators mostly endorsed the value of attending to goals and evaluations in explanations of cultural patterns, including super-attractors. They also voiced concerns about subjective selection, enumerated other factors influencing goals and evaluation, proposed additional super-attractors and processes that might shape them, and demanded greater engagement with power and influence. Many issues signal larger disagreements in the naturalistic study of culture. Here, I respond.

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Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e313
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