Theory is the foundation of science, and it constitutes the basis for the distinctive objective nature of scientific knowledge. This book demonstrates that it is possible to construct a general theory of cultural evolution that scientifically explains cultural phenomena in conceptually objective terms. The theory synthesized here is called the "Complex-Systems Theory of Culture", and it is used to explore the origins of agriculture in the Near East and the nature and evolution of social complexity. This theory is based on the principles of Complexity Theory and Implicit Learning...