The evolution ofHomo Discens: natural selection and human learning

Abstract

This article takes an evolutionary "reverse engineering" standpoint on Homo discens, learning man, to track down the (learning) mechanisms that played a pivotal role in the natural selection of human being. The approach is "evolutionary sociological"-as opposed to gene-centred or psychologising-and utilises notions of co-evolutionary organism-environment transactions and niche construction. These are compatible with a Deweyan theory of action, which entails that in action one cannot but learn and one can only learn in action. Special attention is paid to apprentice-like learning-by-

Ultrasociality and Intersubjectivity

“…These challenges, however, are similar to what ultrasocial cognition has proven adept at addressing in the past. Human learning capacities and practices likely evolved in part in response to rapidly changing circumstances, unpredictability, and sometimes hostile environments (Kivinen & Piiroinen, ). Early humans likely learned by doing things in the context of apprentice‐style relationships in which groups of learners worked to solve problems with the benefit of advice from more experienced problem‐solvers.…”

“…The contemporary era of rapid change and societal challenges demands similarly practically focused learning that connects with the actions, interests, and circumstances of learners and teachers alike. Kivinen and Piiroinen () conclude a recent article on this topic optimistically: “From a Deweyan standpoint, there is no doubt that people can still cope with the problems of their (now global) niche, learning by doing, managing the continuing epistemic engineering of apprentice‐like learning environments fertile for further growth” (p. 130).…”

“…Rather their cognitive development was driven by the imperative to play roles in the adaptive functioning of larger groups. This understanding that human mental capacities likely evolved to enable social rather than individual thought processes has been gaining support and influence among biological, social, and psychological scientists (e.g., Ellis, ; Kivinen & Piiroinen, ; Tomasello, ).…”

“…Fields such as community psychology, education, and public health that frequently make use of ecological metaphors could benefit from closer consideration and incorporation of some of the insights from this emerging “evolutionary sociological” perspective (Kivinen & Piiroinen, , p. 117). In order to make this case, I examine several problems that cognitive scientists have identified which pose challenges to accounts of human evolution reliant primarily or exclusively on individual‐level natural selection.…”

The Third Cognitive Revolution

“…To address and hopefully prevent these unintended and problematic developments, we propose and discuss topics that would promote inter-and transdisciplinary communication. While many, if not most, of the TCR's qualities and effects are still poorly understood, some are obvious [1]. Perhaps the most relevant aspect was described in 1957 by the economist Robert Solow, who discovered that neither labor nor capital was the critical engine of the economy, but an intangible entity: knowledge [2].…”