Todd Tremlin
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305340
- eISBN:
- 9780199784721
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305345.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This book provides an introduction to the cognitive science of religion, a new discipline of study that explains the origins and persistence of religious ideas and behavior on the basis of evolved ...
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This book provides an introduction to the cognitive science of religion, a new discipline of study that explains the origins and persistence of religious ideas and behavior on the basis of evolved mental structures and functions of the human brain. Belief in gods and the social formation of religion have their genesis in biology — in powerful, often hidden, processes of cognition that all humans share. Arguing that we cannot understand what we think until we first understand how we think, the book describes ways in which evolution by natural selection molded the modern human mind, resulting in mental modularity, innate intelligences, and species-typical modes of thought. The book details many of the adapted features of the brain — agent detection, theory of mind, social cognition, and others — focusing on how mental endowments inherited from our ancestral past lead people to naturally entertain religious ideas, such as the god concepts that are ubiquitous the world over. In addition to introducing the major themes, theories, and thinkers in the cognitive science of religion, the book also advances the current discussion by moving beyond explanations for individual religious beliefs and behaviors to the operation of culture and religious systems. Drawing on dual-process models of cognition developed in social psychology, the book argues that the same cognitive constraints that shape human thought also work as a selective force on the content and durability of religions.Less
This book provides an introduction to the cognitive science of religion, a new discipline of study that explains the origins and persistence of religious ideas and behavior on the basis of evolved mental structures and functions of the human brain. Belief in gods and the social formation of religion have their genesis in biology — in powerful, often hidden, processes of cognition that all humans share. Arguing that we cannot understand what we think until we first understand how we think, the book describes ways in which evolution by natural selection molded the modern human mind, resulting in mental modularity, innate intelligences, and species-typical modes of thought. The book details many of the adapted features of the brain — agent detection, theory of mind, social cognition, and others — focusing on how mental endowments inherited from our ancestral past lead people to naturally entertain religious ideas, such as the god concepts that are ubiquitous the world over. In addition to introducing the major themes, theories, and thinkers in the cognitive science of religion, the book also advances the current discussion by moving beyond explanations for individual religious beliefs and behaviors to the operation of culture and religious systems. Drawing on dual-process models of cognition developed in social psychology, the book argues that the same cognitive constraints that shape human thought also work as a selective force on the content and durability of religions.
Matt Rossano
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195385816
- eISBN:
- 9780199870080
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195385816.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Drawing together evidence from a wide range of scientific disciplines, this book presents an evolutionary history of religion. That history begins with the social lives and rituals of our primate ...
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Drawing together evidence from a wide range of scientific disciplines, this book presents an evolutionary history of religion. That history begins with the social lives and rituals of our primate ancestors. As our ancestors’ social world grew increasingly complex, their mental powers grew in concert. Among these mental powers was an increasingly sophisticated imagination. A supernatural world filled with gods, spirits, and ancestors was an outgrowth of that imagination—especially children’s imagination. Belief in the supernatural provided important adaptive benefits. Religion’s initial adaptive benefit was its power to heal. Quickly, though, this benefit was augmented by religion’s power to create highly cooperative and cohesive groups. So significant were these benefits that eventually human groups bonded together by religion out-competed all other groups and literally conquered the world. The book argues that at its core, religion is relational—it represents a supernatural extension of the human social world. Far from just a frivolous adornment, this expanded social world holds the key to what made us human.Less
Drawing together evidence from a wide range of scientific disciplines, this book presents an evolutionary history of religion. That history begins with the social lives and rituals of our primate ancestors. As our ancestors’ social world grew increasingly complex, their mental powers grew in concert. Among these mental powers was an increasingly sophisticated imagination. A supernatural world filled with gods, spirits, and ancestors was an outgrowth of that imagination—especially children’s imagination. Belief in the supernatural provided important adaptive benefits. Religion’s initial adaptive benefit was its power to heal. Quickly, though, this benefit was augmented by religion’s power to create highly cooperative and cohesive groups. So significant were these benefits that eventually human groups bonded together by religion out-competed all other groups and literally conquered the world. The book argues that at its core, religion is relational—it represents a supernatural extension of the human social world. Far from just a frivolous adornment, this expanded social world holds the key to what made us human.
Paul F. Lurquin and Linda Stone
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195315387
- eISBN:
- 9780199785674
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315387.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The notions of natural selection and drift also apply to humans and their biological and cultural evolution. The science of paleoanthropology explains human evolution through the study of ...
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The notions of natural selection and drift also apply to humans and their biological and cultural evolution. The science of paleoanthropology explains human evolution through the study of intermediate fossil forms. In addition, geneticists have been able to retrace, through the study of mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome DNA, the origin and migrations of prehistoric humans. The understanding of human cultural evolution has greatly benefited from the application of evolutionary thinking.Less
The notions of natural selection and drift also apply to humans and their biological and cultural evolution. The science of paleoanthropology explains human evolution through the study of intermediate fossil forms. In addition, geneticists have been able to retrace, through the study of mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome DNA, the origin and migrations of prehistoric humans. The understanding of human cultural evolution has greatly benefited from the application of evolutionary thinking.
Paul F. Lurquin and Linda Stone
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195315387
- eISBN:
- 9780199785674
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315387.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Intelligent Design (ID) thinking and older style creationism argue that evolution by natural selection is an incorrect theory. This book demonstrates that in doing so, neocreationism (Intelligent ...
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Intelligent Design (ID) thinking and older style creationism argue that evolution by natural selection is an incorrect theory. This book demonstrates that in doing so, neocreationism (Intelligent Design) and classical creationism misinterpret the meaning of scientific theories. This is because these religious doctrines imply teleology and purpose in the natural world, which are not analyzable scientifically. In addition, the concept of “irreducible complexity” often invoked by ID proponents is based on a flawed interpretation of scientific data. It also demonstrates that evolutionary thinking in the sciences is a powerful tool that can be used in the study of the origin of the universe, the origin of life and its diversification, and human evolution. Creationism and ID do not belong in the realm of science and have contributed nothing to its advancement. Further, attempts to force the teaching of creationism and ID in schools can only weaken a science curriculum which already leaves much to be desired.Less
Intelligent Design (ID) thinking and older style creationism argue that evolution by natural selection is an incorrect theory. This book demonstrates that in doing so, neocreationism (Intelligent Design) and classical creationism misinterpret the meaning of scientific theories. This is because these religious doctrines imply teleology and purpose in the natural world, which are not analyzable scientifically. In addition, the concept of “irreducible complexity” often invoked by ID proponents is based on a flawed interpretation of scientific data. It also demonstrates that evolutionary thinking in the sciences is a powerful tool that can be used in the study of the origin of the universe, the origin of life and its diversification, and human evolution. Creationism and ID do not belong in the realm of science and have contributed nothing to its advancement. Further, attempts to force the teaching of creationism and ID in schools can only weaken a science curriculum which already leaves much to be desired.
Bernard J Crespi
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199216840
- eISBN:
- 9780191712043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216840.003.0013
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Human social communication is impaired in the two primary disorders of the ‘social brain’, autism, and schizophrenia. This chapter describes a new hypothesis for the role of language in the evolution ...
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Human social communication is impaired in the two primary disorders of the ‘social brain’, autism, and schizophrenia. This chapter describes a new hypothesis for the role of language in the evolution and development of autism and schizophrenia: that the cores of these two conditions are disordered social communication, with dysregulated social-linguistic development mediated in part by extremes of bias in maternal vs paternal imprinted gene expression, resulting in extreme mentalistic vs extreme mechanistic cognition. It evaluates this hypothesis via tests of the molecular evolution of genes underlying schizophrenia and language, analyses of how the human social brain has evolved, and evaluation of the roles of genomic conflicts in human development, enculturation, and communication via study of the genetic and epigenetic underpinnings of social-brain disorders. These convergent lines of evidence from evolutionary theory and neurogenomics support the hypothesis that psychosis represents the ‘illness that made us human’.Less
Human social communication is impaired in the two primary disorders of the ‘social brain’, autism, and schizophrenia. This chapter describes a new hypothesis for the role of language in the evolution and development of autism and schizophrenia: that the cores of these two conditions are disordered social communication, with dysregulated social-linguistic development mediated in part by extremes of bias in maternal vs paternal imprinted gene expression, resulting in extreme mentalistic vs extreme mechanistic cognition. It evaluates this hypothesis via tests of the molecular evolution of genes underlying schizophrenia and language, analyses of how the human social brain has evolved, and evaluation of the roles of genomic conflicts in human development, enculturation, and communication via study of the genetic and epigenetic underpinnings of social-brain disorders. These convergent lines of evidence from evolutionary theory and neurogenomics support the hypothesis that psychosis represents the ‘illness that made us human’.
Ádám Miklósi
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199295852
- eISBN:
- 9780191711688
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199295852.003.0005
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
This chapter deals with one of the most long-debated question about how dogs became domesticated. Traditional understanding of this process was based on the finding of archaeologists that are, ...
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This chapter deals with one of the most long-debated question about how dogs became domesticated. Traditional understanding of this process was based on the finding of archaeologists that are, however, restricted to only a few geographic locations and time periods. The possibility of scientific inquiry about domestication has changed with the introduction of novel phylogenetic approaches based on molecular biological methods, which, however, are also not without problems. The chapter provides an introduction to constraints presented by both the archaeological and the phylogenetic investigations, and reviews the problems of tracing genetic evolution. Finally, a possible multi-step framework for dog domestication is presented.Less
This chapter deals with one of the most long-debated question about how dogs became domesticated. Traditional understanding of this process was based on the finding of archaeologists that are, however, restricted to only a few geographic locations and time periods. The possibility of scientific inquiry about domestication has changed with the introduction of novel phylogenetic approaches based on molecular biological methods, which, however, are also not without problems. The chapter provides an introduction to constraints presented by both the archaeological and the phylogenetic investigations, and reviews the problems of tracing genetic evolution. Finally, a possible multi-step framework for dog domestication is presented.
Mark Collard
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263112
- eISBN:
- 9780191734885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263112.003.0005
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
This chapter assesses the number of grades that have appeared in the course of human evolution. It identifies three grades. The first is characterised by a species mean body mass of under 50 kg; a ...
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This chapter assesses the number of grades that have appeared in the course of human evolution. It identifies three grades. The first is characterised by a species mean body mass of under 50 kg; a species mean stature of less than 150 cm; facultative bipedalism; relatively large teeth and jaws; a moderate size brain relative to body mass; and a relatively short period of maturation. The second grade is characterised by a species mean body mass of more than 50 kg; a species mean stature in excess of 150 cm; obligate bipedalism; relatively small teeth and jaws; a moderate size brain relative to body mass; and a relatively short period of maturation. The third grade is similar to the second in terms of body mass, stature, locomotor behaviour and masticatory system size; but exhibits a considerably higher level of encephalisation. It also exhibits delayed maturation.Less
This chapter assesses the number of grades that have appeared in the course of human evolution. It identifies three grades. The first is characterised by a species mean body mass of under 50 kg; a species mean stature of less than 150 cm; facultative bipedalism; relatively large teeth and jaws; a moderate size brain relative to body mass; and a relatively short period of maturation. The second grade is characterised by a species mean body mass of more than 50 kg; a species mean stature in excess of 150 cm; obligate bipedalism; relatively small teeth and jaws; a moderate size brain relative to body mass; and a relatively short period of maturation. The third grade is similar to the second in terms of body mass, stature, locomotor behaviour and masticatory system size; but exhibits a considerably higher level of encephalisation. It also exhibits delayed maturation.
Robert Boyd and Peter J. Richerson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195310139
- eISBN:
- 9780199871209
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195310139.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
Culture has fundamentally changed the nature of human evolution because it creates a novel evolutionary tradeoff. Social learning allows human populations to rapidly evolve accumulate cultural ...
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Culture has fundamentally changed the nature of human evolution because it creates a novel evolutionary tradeoff. Social learning allows human populations to rapidly evolve accumulate cultural evolution of highly adaptive culturally transmitted behaviors. However, to get the benefits of social learning, humans have to be credulous, for the most part accepting the ways that they observe in their society as sensible and proper; such credulity opens up human minds to the spread of maladaptive beliefs. These costs can be reduced by tinkering with our evolved psychology, but they cannot be eliminated without losing the adaptive benefits of cumulative cultural evolution. The classic nature-nurture controversy neglects the processes of gene-culture coevolution. An evolutionary psychology lacking an account of this fundamental tradeoff cannot successfully explain human evolution.Less
Culture has fundamentally changed the nature of human evolution because it creates a novel evolutionary tradeoff. Social learning allows human populations to rapidly evolve accumulate cultural evolution of highly adaptive culturally transmitted behaviors. However, to get the benefits of social learning, humans have to be credulous, for the most part accepting the ways that they observe in their society as sensible and proper; such credulity opens up human minds to the spread of maladaptive beliefs. These costs can be reduced by tinkering with our evolved psychology, but they cannot be eliminated without losing the adaptive benefits of cumulative cultural evolution. The classic nature-nurture controversy neglects the processes of gene-culture coevolution. An evolutionary psychology lacking an account of this fundamental tradeoff cannot successfully explain human evolution.
Robin Dunbar, Clive Gamble, and John Gowlett
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264522
- eISBN:
- 9780191734724
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264522.003.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology
Human nature is the product of a long history that has brought us, over the course of some 6–8 million years, from our common ancestor with the chimpanzee lineage to modern humans. The aim of this ...
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Human nature is the product of a long history that has brought us, over the course of some 6–8 million years, from our common ancestor with the chimpanzee lineage to modern humans. The aim of this particular volume has been to bring together two powerful approaches that deal, respectively, with explanations of the evolution of human brains and understandings of cognition as a distributed system, in order to illuminate the changes that took place during the later stages of human evolution. It aims to compare inter-disciplinary perspectives on these key issues across a range of disciplines. A particular focus is provided by consideration of the role that material culture plays as a scaffold for distributed cognition, and how almost 3 million years of artefact and tool use and manufacture provide the data for tracing key changes in areas such as language, technology, kinship, music, and social networks.Less
Human nature is the product of a long history that has brought us, over the course of some 6–8 million years, from our common ancestor with the chimpanzee lineage to modern humans. The aim of this particular volume has been to bring together two powerful approaches that deal, respectively, with explanations of the evolution of human brains and understandings of cognition as a distributed system, in order to illuminate the changes that took place during the later stages of human evolution. It aims to compare inter-disciplinary perspectives on these key issues across a range of disciplines. A particular focus is provided by consideration of the role that material culture plays as a scaffold for distributed cognition, and how almost 3 million years of artefact and tool use and manufacture provide the data for tracing key changes in areas such as language, technology, kinship, music, and social networks.
Michael L. Arnold
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199539581
- eISBN:
- 9780191716225
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199539581.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This book is an exploration of how the transfer of genes between divergent lineages — through a diverse array of mechanisms — has affected, and continues to affect, humans. In particular, it is a ...
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This book is an exploration of how the transfer of genes between divergent lineages — through a diverse array of mechanisms — has affected, and continues to affect, humans. In particular, it is a journey into the data that support the hypothesis that Homo sapiens as well as those organisms upon which it depends for survival and battles against for existence are marked by mosaic genomes. This mosaicism reflects the rampant (as reflected by the proportion of organisms that illustrate this process) exchange of genetic material during evolutionary diversification. This is the underlying hypothesis for this book. The book follows in the various chapters that it also reflects the consistent observation made when the genomes of organisms are mined for genetic variation.Less
This book is an exploration of how the transfer of genes between divergent lineages — through a diverse array of mechanisms — has affected, and continues to affect, humans. In particular, it is a journey into the data that support the hypothesis that Homo sapiens as well as those organisms upon which it depends for survival and battles against for existence are marked by mosaic genomes. This mosaicism reflects the rampant (as reflected by the proportion of organisms that illustrate this process) exchange of genetic material during evolutionary diversification. This is the underlying hypothesis for this book. The book follows in the various chapters that it also reflects the consistent observation made when the genomes of organisms are mined for genetic variation.
John Gowlett
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264522
- eISBN:
- 9780191734724
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264522.003.0017
- Subject:
- Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology
The mastery of fire is a great human achievement which has helped shape our species. This chapter addresses the wider importance of fire, arguing that it is part of a fundamental motor of human ...
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The mastery of fire is a great human achievement which has helped shape our species. This chapter addresses the wider importance of fire, arguing that it is part of a fundamental motor of human evolution, deeply tied into our biology as well as economy and technology, and indeed a motor of the social brain. It seems likely that fire was involved in this nexus from a very early period, probably back to the time of increases in human brain size in the early Pleistocene, and indeed that it may have been a necessity for the subsequent physical evolutionary and social developments in Homo. Fire may be associated so strongly with imagery, imagination and symbolism in the modern world as a result of its primary role in effecting transformation of materials, and acting to link various strands of material culture.Less
The mastery of fire is a great human achievement which has helped shape our species. This chapter addresses the wider importance of fire, arguing that it is part of a fundamental motor of human evolution, deeply tied into our biology as well as economy and technology, and indeed a motor of the social brain. It seems likely that fire was involved in this nexus from a very early period, probably back to the time of increases in human brain size in the early Pleistocene, and indeed that it may have been a necessity for the subsequent physical evolutionary and social developments in Homo. Fire may be associated so strongly with imagery, imagination and symbolism in the modern world as a result of its primary role in effecting transformation of materials, and acting to link various strands of material culture.
James Steele
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263112
- eISBN:
- 9780191734885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263112.003.0009
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
This chapter reviews evidence for the evolution of primate asymmetries in brain morphology and in behaviour, including the fossil and archaeological record of human evolution. This evidence suggests ...
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This chapter reviews evidence for the evolution of primate asymmetries in brain morphology and in behaviour, including the fossil and archaeological record of human evolution. This evidence suggests that, while morphological asymmetries are conserved features of the human brain, human functional asymmetries are derived, at least in their degree and consistency. The discussion offers a partial explanation that takes account of allometric scaling in the evolution of brain size, neocortex size, and intra- and interhemispheric connectivity.Less
This chapter reviews evidence for the evolution of primate asymmetries in brain morphology and in behaviour, including the fossil and archaeological record of human evolution. This evidence suggests that, while morphological asymmetries are conserved features of the human brain, human functional asymmetries are derived, at least in their degree and consistency. The discussion offers a partial explanation that takes account of allometric scaling in the evolution of brain size, neocortex size, and intra- and interhemispheric connectivity.
Daniel N. Finkel, Paul Swartwout, and Richard Sosis
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264522
- eISBN:
- 9780191734724
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264522.003.0014
- Subject:
- Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary approaches to religion and the social brain hypothesis are ripe for functional integration. One conceptual link for such integration lies in recognizing the artificially imposed ...
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Evolutionary approaches to religion and the social brain hypothesis are ripe for functional integration. One conceptual link for such integration lies in recognizing the artificially imposed distinction between religion and most other aspects of culture found in band-level societies. This chapter argues that throughout most of human evolution, religion has organized the patterns of belief and behaviour in which the social brain operates. Religious beliefs, myths, symbols and rituals are the means by which emotional bonding, enculturation and identification with an in-group occur. The chapter presents a developmental account of socio-religious enculturation in order to clarify the unique role religion plays in social cognition. It proposes that the particulars of religious systems are introduced and practised during childhood, sealed in adolescence, reinforced throughout reproductive adulthood and transmitted by post-reproductive adults.Less
Evolutionary approaches to religion and the social brain hypothesis are ripe for functional integration. One conceptual link for such integration lies in recognizing the artificially imposed distinction between religion and most other aspects of culture found in band-level societies. This chapter argues that throughout most of human evolution, religion has organized the patterns of belief and behaviour in which the social brain operates. Religious beliefs, myths, symbols and rituals are the means by which emotional bonding, enculturation and identification with an in-group occur. The chapter presents a developmental account of socio-religious enculturation in order to clarify the unique role religion plays in social cognition. It proposes that the particulars of religious systems are introduced and practised during childhood, sealed in adolescence, reinforced throughout reproductive adulthood and transmitted by post-reproductive adults.
Kevin N. Laland
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691182810
- eISBN:
- 9780691184470
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691182810.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Humans possess an extraordinary capacity for cultural production, from the arts and language to science and technology. How did the human mind—and the uniquely human ability to devise and transmit ...
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Humans possess an extraordinary capacity for cultural production, from the arts and language to science and technology. How did the human mind—and the uniquely human ability to devise and transmit culture—evolve from its roots in animal behavior? This book presents a new theory of human cognitive evolution. It reveals how culture is not just the magnificent end product of an evolutionary process that produced a species unlike all others—it is also the key driving force behind that process. The book shows how the learned and socially transmitted activities of our ancestors shaped our intellects through accelerating cycles of evolutionary feedback. The truly unique characteristics of our species—such as our intelligence, language, teaching, and cooperation—are not adaptive responses to predators, disease, or other external conditions. Rather, humans are creatures of their own making. The book explains how animals imitate, innovate, and have remarkable traditions of their own. It traces our rise from scavenger apes in prehistory to modern humans able to design iPhones, dance the tango, and send astronauts into space. This book tells the story of the painstaking fieldwork, the key experiments, the false leads, and the stunning scientific breakthroughs that led to this new understanding of how culture transformed human evolution. It is the story of how Darwin's intellectual descendants picked up where he left off and took up the challenge of providing a scientific account of the evolution of the human mind.Less
Humans possess an extraordinary capacity for cultural production, from the arts and language to science and technology. How did the human mind—and the uniquely human ability to devise and transmit culture—evolve from its roots in animal behavior? This book presents a new theory of human cognitive evolution. It reveals how culture is not just the magnificent end product of an evolutionary process that produced a species unlike all others—it is also the key driving force behind that process. The book shows how the learned and socially transmitted activities of our ancestors shaped our intellects through accelerating cycles of evolutionary feedback. The truly unique characteristics of our species—such as our intelligence, language, teaching, and cooperation—are not adaptive responses to predators, disease, or other external conditions. Rather, humans are creatures of their own making. The book explains how animals imitate, innovate, and have remarkable traditions of their own. It traces our rise from scavenger apes in prehistory to modern humans able to design iPhones, dance the tango, and send astronauts into space. This book tells the story of the painstaking fieldwork, the key experiments, the false leads, and the stunning scientific breakthroughs that led to this new understanding of how culture transformed human evolution. It is the story of how Darwin's intellectual descendants picked up where he left off and took up the challenge of providing a scientific account of the evolution of the human mind.
Ian Tattersall
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263112
- eISBN:
- 9780191734885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263112.003.0004
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
This chapter argues the case that the speciation of modern Homo sapiens exemplifies the principle of punctuated equilibria, i.e. it is a saltational change. Evolutionary saltation is a rather ...
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This chapter argues the case that the speciation of modern Homo sapiens exemplifies the principle of punctuated equilibria, i.e. it is a saltational change. Evolutionary saltation is a rather ill-defined Victorian concept that may contrast in various ways with gradual (linear) evolution. The discussion looks at the human morphological and behavioural records in an attempt to discern pattern in human evolution, and particularly in the emergence of Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens is a variable species, although not notably more so than Homo neanderthalensis, which can itself be understood only in the context of its membership in a diverse clade of endemic European species. The record clearly indicates that both modern human morphology and modern human cognitive processes appeared rather suddenly, even saltationally, although not at the same time.Less
This chapter argues the case that the speciation of modern Homo sapiens exemplifies the principle of punctuated equilibria, i.e. it is a saltational change. Evolutionary saltation is a rather ill-defined Victorian concept that may contrast in various ways with gradual (linear) evolution. The discussion looks at the human morphological and behavioural records in an attempt to discern pattern in human evolution, and particularly in the emergence of Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens is a variable species, although not notably more so than Homo neanderthalensis, which can itself be understood only in the context of its membership in a diverse clade of endemic European species. The record clearly indicates that both modern human morphology and modern human cognitive processes appeared rather suddenly, even saltationally, although not at the same time.
Kevin N. Laland
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691182810
- eISBN:
- 9780691184470
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691182810.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter poses the question of the evolution of intellectual faculties. But a satisfactory explanation demands insight into the evolutionary origins of some of our most striking attributes—our ...
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This chapter poses the question of the evolution of intellectual faculties. But a satisfactory explanation demands insight into the evolutionary origins of some of our most striking attributes—our intelligence, language, cooperation, teaching, and morality—yet most of these features are not just distinctive, they are unique to our species. That makes it harder to glean clues to the distant history of our minds through comparison with other species. At the heart of this challenge lies the undeniable fact that we humans are an amazingly successful species. Our range is unprecedented; we have colonized virtually every terrestrial habitat on Earth; exhibit behavioral diversity that is unparalleled in the animal kingdom; and resolved countless ecological, social, and technological challenges. When one considers that the life history, social life, sexual behavior, and foraging patterns of humans have also diverged sharply from those of other apes, there are grounds for claiming that human evolution exhibits unusual and striking features that go beyond our self-obsession and demand explanation.Less
This chapter poses the question of the evolution of intellectual faculties. But a satisfactory explanation demands insight into the evolutionary origins of some of our most striking attributes—our intelligence, language, cooperation, teaching, and morality—yet most of these features are not just distinctive, they are unique to our species. That makes it harder to glean clues to the distant history of our minds through comparison with other species. At the heart of this challenge lies the undeniable fact that we humans are an amazingly successful species. Our range is unprecedented; we have colonized virtually every terrestrial habitat on Earth; exhibit behavioral diversity that is unparalleled in the animal kingdom; and resolved countless ecological, social, and technological challenges. When one considers that the life history, social life, sexual behavior, and foraging patterns of humans have also diverged sharply from those of other apes, there are grounds for claiming that human evolution exhibits unusual and striking features that go beyond our self-obsession and demand explanation.
Fiona Coward
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264522
- eISBN:
- 9780191734724
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264522.003.0021
- Subject:
- Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology
The cognitive, psychological and sociological mechanisms underpinning complex social relationships among small groups are a part of our primate heritage. However, among human groups, relationships ...
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The cognitive, psychological and sociological mechanisms underpinning complex social relationships among small groups are a part of our primate heritage. However, among human groups, relationships persist over much greater temporal and spatial scales, often in the physical absence of one or other of the individuals themselves. This chapter examines how such individual face-to-face social interactions were ‘scaled up’ during human evolution to the regional and global networks characteristic of modern societies. One recent suggestion has been that a radical change in human sociality occurred with the shift to sedentary and agricultural societies in the early Neolithic. The discussion presents the results of a focused study of the long-term development of regional social networks in the Near East, using the distribution of different forms of material culture as a proxy for the social relationships that underpinned processes of trade, exchange and the dissemination of material culture practices.Less
The cognitive, psychological and sociological mechanisms underpinning complex social relationships among small groups are a part of our primate heritage. However, among human groups, relationships persist over much greater temporal and spatial scales, often in the physical absence of one or other of the individuals themselves. This chapter examines how such individual face-to-face social interactions were ‘scaled up’ during human evolution to the regional and global networks characteristic of modern societies. One recent suggestion has been that a radical change in human sociality occurred with the shift to sedentary and agricultural societies in the early Neolithic. The discussion presents the results of a focused study of the long-term development of regional social networks in the Near East, using the distribution of different forms of material culture as a proxy for the social relationships that underpinned processes of trade, exchange and the dissemination of material culture practices.
Todd Tremlin
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305340
- eISBN:
- 9780199784721
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305345.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter explains why the process of human evolution is crucial to understanding the structures and functions of the modern human mind. Tracing hominid development up to the appearance of Homo ...
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This chapter explains why the process of human evolution is crucial to understanding the structures and functions of the modern human mind. Tracing hominid development up to the appearance of Homo sapiens, the chapter explores some of the selective pressures faced in our ancestral past, and the cognitive adaptations that gave rise to human intelligence. It shows how the ultimate success of Homo sapiens was the result of mental mechanisms (e.g., theory of mind, social intelligence, and language) that fitted humans to the “cognitive niche” — an adaptive space characterized by the gathering and strategic use of information — and that remain the hallmarks of human thought and behavior today.Less
This chapter explains why the process of human evolution is crucial to understanding the structures and functions of the modern human mind. Tracing hominid development up to the appearance of Homo sapiens, the chapter explores some of the selective pressures faced in our ancestral past, and the cognitive adaptations that gave rise to human intelligence. It shows how the ultimate success of Homo sapiens was the result of mental mechanisms (e.g., theory of mind, social intelligence, and language) that fitted humans to the “cognitive niche” — an adaptive space characterized by the gathering and strategic use of information — and that remain the hallmarks of human thought and behavior today.
Derek Bickerton
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263112
- eISBN:
- 9780191734885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263112.003.0006
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
This chapter discusses the singularity of human language. Although evolution is normally conceived of as a gradual process, it can produce an appearance of catastrophism where functions change or ...
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This chapter discusses the singularity of human language. Although evolution is normally conceived of as a gradual process, it can produce an appearance of catastrophism where functions change or where gradual changes in two or more components impinge on one another. The fossil and archaeological records argue strongly for some such development in the case of human language. The discussion argues that language as people know it requires the conjunction of three things: an event structure derived from reciprocal altruism; the capacity to use unstructured symbolic units (protolanguage); and sufficient ‘spare’ neurones to maintain the coherence of internally generated messages in brains designed by evolution to attend primarily to the environment. These developments co-occurred only in the human species, accounting for the uniqueness of human language.Less
This chapter discusses the singularity of human language. Although evolution is normally conceived of as a gradual process, it can produce an appearance of catastrophism where functions change or where gradual changes in two or more components impinge on one another. The fossil and archaeological records argue strongly for some such development in the case of human language. The discussion argues that language as people know it requires the conjunction of three things: an event structure derived from reciprocal altruism; the capacity to use unstructured symbolic units (protolanguage); and sufficient ‘spare’ neurones to maintain the coherence of internally generated messages in brains designed by evolution to attend primarily to the environment. These developments co-occurred only in the human species, accounting for the uniqueness of human language.
Denis J. Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199207145
- eISBN:
- 9780191708893
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199207145.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Plant Sciences and Forestry
This chapter introduces the new understanding from recent climatic and archaeological research of how human societies gradually developed increasingly important associations with edible plants. For ...
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This chapter introduces the new understanding from recent climatic and archaeological research of how human societies gradually developed increasingly important associations with edible plants. For the past two million years, life on earth has been largely dominated by hypervariable climatic conditions, fluctuating between relatively mild, damp conditions and much colder, drier states. Humans evolved during this period as efficient and relatively mobile hunter-gatherers, and by about 20,000 BP they had spread across much of the world. Over the past 100,000 years, human cognitive skills gradually increased, which facilitated more efficient social interactions and enabled people to adapt better to their unpredictable and ever-changing environments. During the Upper Palaeolithic (c.50,000-11,500 BP), as some of the megafauna became extinct, many human groups relied increasingly on a mixture of small game and plants, gradually becoming skilled exploiters and manipulators of numerous useful plant resources including fruits and seeds.Less
This chapter introduces the new understanding from recent climatic and archaeological research of how human societies gradually developed increasingly important associations with edible plants. For the past two million years, life on earth has been largely dominated by hypervariable climatic conditions, fluctuating between relatively mild, damp conditions and much colder, drier states. Humans evolved during this period as efficient and relatively mobile hunter-gatherers, and by about 20,000 BP they had spread across much of the world. Over the past 100,000 years, human cognitive skills gradually increased, which facilitated more efficient social interactions and enabled people to adapt better to their unpredictable and ever-changing environments. During the Upper Palaeolithic (c.50,000-11,500 BP), as some of the megafauna became extinct, many human groups relied increasingly on a mixture of small game and plants, gradually becoming skilled exploiters and manipulators of numerous useful plant resources including fruits and seeds.
