Particularism and the retreat from theory in the archaeology of agricultural origins - PubMed (original) (raw)

Particularism and the retreat from theory in the archaeology of agricultural origins

Kristen J Gremillion et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014.

Abstract

The introduction of new analytic methods and expansion of research into previously untapped regions have greatly increased the scale and resolution of data relevant to the origins of agriculture (OA). As a result, the recognition of varied historical pathways to agriculture and the continuum of management strategies have complicated the search for general explanations for the transition to food production. In this environment, higher-level theoretical frameworks are sometimes rejected on the grounds that they force conclusions that are incompatible with real-world variability. Some of those who take this position argue instead that OA should be explained in terms of local and historically contingent factors. This retreat from theory in favor of particularism is based on the faulty beliefs that complex phenomena such as agricultural origins demand equally complex explanations and that explanation is possible in the absence of theoretically based assumptions. The same scholars who are suspicious of generalization are reluctant to embrace evolutionary approaches to human behavior on the grounds that they are ahistorical, overly simplistic, and dismissive of agency and intent. We argue that these criticisms are misplaced and explain why a coherent theory of human behavior that acknowledges its evolutionary history is essential to advancing understanding of OA. Continued progress depends on the integration of human behavior and culture into the emerging synthesis of evolutionary developmental biology that informs contemporary research into plant and animal domestication.

Keywords: behavioral ecology; evolutionary theory.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Comment in

• Alternative to faith-based science.
  Zeder MA. Zeder MA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jul 15;111(28):E2827. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1408209111. Epub 2014 Jun 19. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014. PMID: 24946802 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
• Failure of optimal foraging theory to appeal to researchers working on the origins of agriculture worldwide.
  Smith BD. Smith BD. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jul 15;111(28):E2829. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1408208111. Epub 2014 Jun 16. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014. PMID: 24979801 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
• Reply to Zeder: Maintaining a diverse scientific toolkit is not an act of faith.
  Gremillion KJ, Barton L, Piperno DR. Gremillion KJ, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jul 15;111(28):E2828. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1409072111. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014. PMID: 25157384 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
• Reply to Smith: On distinguishing between models, hypotheses, and theoretical frameworks.
  Gremillion KJ, Barton L, Piperno DR. Gremillion KJ, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jul 15;111(28):E2830. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1408909111. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014. PMID: 25157385 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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