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Cognitive gadgets and genetic accommodation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 September 2019

Eva Jablonka ,
Simona Ginsburg  and
Daniel Dor
Eva Jablonka
Affiliation:
Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. [email protected]://en-humanities.tau.ac.il/profile/jablonka
Simona Ginsburg
Affiliation:
Department of Natural Science, Open University of Israel, Ra'anaa 43107, Israel. [email protected]://www.openu.ac.il/en/personalsites/SimonaGinsburg.aspx
Daniel Dor
Affiliation:
Department of Communication, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. [email protected]://en-social-sciences.tau.ac.il/profile/danield
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Abstract

Heyes argues that human metacognitive strategies (cognitive gadgets) evolved through cultural rather than genetic evolution. Although we agree that increased plasticity is the hallmark of human metacognition, we suggest cognitive malleability required the genetic accommodation of gadget-specific processes that enhanced the overall cognitive flexibility of humans.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 42 , 2019 , e178
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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