Communication in its most basic form-the sending of signals and exchange
of messages within and between organisms-is the heart of evolution. From
the earliest life-forms to Homo sapiens, the great chain of
communication drives the evolutionary process and is the indispensable
component of human culture. That is the central message of this unique
perspective on both the biological evolution of life and the human
development of culture. The book explores the totality of communication
processes that create and sustain biological equilibrium and social
stability. The authors argue that this ubiquitous connectivity is the
elemental unity of life. Introducing a new subdiscipline-evolutionary
communication-the authors analyze the core domains of life-sheer
survival, sex, culture, morality, religion, and technological change-as
communications phenomena. What emerges from their analysis is a
brilliant interpretation of life interconnected through communication
from the basic molecular level to the most sophisticated manifestations
of culture. Challenging the boundaries of conventional approaches to
cultural analysis, this is an original and engaging view of evolution
and an encouraging prognosis for our collective future.