How have processes of evolution changed households?

Households are key elements of the human order. They are defined as small groups – averaging about five people – that share in residence, sleeping, preparing and eating food, domestic tasks, and the nurturing of children. They arose and changed through the processes of biological, cultural, and social evolution, each with a separate mechanism. The success of households over time enabled the human system to expand.

Patrick Manning's work centres on developing a coherent theory of world history, treating humanity as a system. Elements include early social evolution, institutional change through social groups and networks, the history of science and knowledge, and today’s inequality, environmental destruction, and popular social movements. Manning is past president of the American Historical Association.