Human cumulative culture and the exploitation of natural phenomena

Maxime Derex
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Maxime Derex: IAST - Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Abstract: Cumulative cultural evolution (CCE)—defined as the process by which beneficial modifications are culturally transmitted and progressively accumulated over time—has long been argued to underlie the unparalleled diversity and complexity of human culture. In this paper, I argue that not just any kind of cultural accumulation will give rise to human-like culture. Rather, I suggest that human CCE depends on the gradual exploitation of natural phenomena, which are features of our environment that, through the laws of physics, chemistry or biology, generate reliable effects which can be exploited for a purpose. I argue that CCE comprises two distinct processes: optimizing cultural traits that exploit a given set of natural phenomena (Type I CCE) and expanding the set of natural phenomena we exploit (Type II CCE). I argue that the most critical features of human CCE, including its open-ended dynamic, stems from Type II CCE. Throughout the paper, I contrast the two processes and discuss their respective socio-cognitive requirements.

Keywords: Cumulative culture; Technology; Innovation; Social learning; Cultural evolution; Natural phenomena (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-01
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2022, 377 (1843), ⟨10.1098/rstb.2020.0311⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03509412

DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0311

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