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A cognitive approach to cumulative technological culture is useful and necessary but only if it also applies to other species

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 August 2020

Thibaud Gruber*
Affiliation:
Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, 1202Geneva, Switzerland. [email protected]://www.unige.ch/fapse/neuroemo/people/faculty/dr-thibaud-gruber

Abstract

The debate on cumulative technological culture (CTC) is dominated by social-learning discussions, at the expense of other cognitive processes, leading to flawed circular arguments. I welcome the authors' approach to decouple CTC from social-learning processes without minimizing their impact. Yet, this model will only be informative to understand the evolution of CTC if tested in other cultural species.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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