Methodological difficulties in explaining human culture
Cumulative cultural evolution occurs when modifications to cultural artefacts and practices are preserved over generations, leading to successive improvement. Human cumulative culture is thought to be unique. Theorists often attribute this uniqueness to either human-specific technical cognition or social cognition. I argue that attempts to determine the cognitive "difference-maker" between human and animal culture which rely on developmental and experimental psychology are flawed. In particular, they pose methodological difficulties in making inferences from modern humans to our ancestors, and encourage "magic-bullet" style thinking. I propose narrative explanations as an alternative methodology.
Venue: Byrne House, University of Exeter (spaces limited)
Virtual: via Zoom
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