The tripod effect : Evolutionary perspectives on cooperation, cognition and communication
Gärdenfors, Peter LU ; Brinck, Ingar LU
and Osvath, Mathias
LU
(2012)
In Biosemiotics
6.
p.193-224
- Abstract
- This article concerns the co-evolution of hominin cooperation, communication and cognition. Certain hominin ecologies seem to have relied on cognitive foresight. The capacity of planning for future needs, combined with more developed cooperative skills, opened up the cognitive niche of cooperation towards future goals. Such cooperation requires complex intersubjectivity (theory of mind). We analyze five domains of intersubjectivity: emotion, desire, attention, intention, and belief; and argue that cooperation towards future goals requires, among other things, joint intentions (we-intentions). We scrutinize the cognitive and communicative conditions for reciprocal altruism, found in some species; and indirect reciprocity, a form of... (More)
- This article concerns the co-evolution of hominin cooperation, communication and cognition. Certain hominin ecologies seem to have relied on cognitive foresight. The capacity of planning for future needs, combined with more developed cooperative skills, opened up the cognitive niche of cooperation towards future goals. Such cooperation requires complex intersubjectivity (theory of mind). We analyze five domains of intersubjectivity: emotion, desire, attention, intention, and belief; and argue that cooperation towards future goals requires, among other things, joint intentions (we-intentions). We scrutinize the cognitive and communicative conditions for reciprocal altruism, found in some species; and indirect reciprocity, a form of cooperation typical in the hominin line.
Sharing intentions and beliefs about the future requires communication about what is not present in the current environment. Symbols are efficient tools for this kind of communication, and we argue that the benefits of cooperation for the future selected for the evolution of symbolic communication. In line with recent models describing how indirect reciprocity might develop into an evolutionarily stable strategy, we emphasize the need for yet more complex intersubjectivity and symbolic communication, including a minimal syntax.
Our argumentation triangulates hominin cognition, cooperation, and communication, showing how these interdependent factors mutually reinforce each other over the course of evolution. The new take in this article is the combined analyses of cooperation and cognitive mechanisms. Finally, our theses are linked to archaeological evidence. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/2153049
- author
- Gärdenfors, Peter
LU
; Brinck, Ingar
LU
and Osvath, Mathias
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2012
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- cognitive foresight, hominin evolution, intersubjectivity, cooperation, joint intention, reciprocal altruism
- host publication
- New perspectives on the symbolic species
- series title
- Biosemiotics
- editor
- Stjernfeldt, F ; Deacon, T and Schilhab, T
- volume
- 6
- pages
- 193 - 224
- publisher
- Springer
- ISSN
- 1875-4651
- ISBN
- 978-94-007-2336-8
- 978-94-007-2335-1
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-94-007-2336-8_10
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- c49b333b-5f4f-4c49-9d62-d6c21c4b5e52 (old id 2153049)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 11:27:05
- date last changed
- 2021-12-21 02:35:40
@inbook{c49b333b-5f4f-4c49-9d62-d6c21c4b5e52,
abstract = {{This article concerns the co-evolution of hominin cooperation, communication and cognition. Certain hominin ecologies seem to have relied on cognitive foresight. The capacity of planning for future needs, combined with more developed cooperative skills, opened up the cognitive niche of cooperation towards future goals. Such cooperation requires complex intersubjectivity (theory of mind). We analyze five domains of intersubjectivity: emotion, desire, attention, intention, and belief; and argue that cooperation towards future goals requires, among other things, joint intentions (we-intentions). We scrutinize the cognitive and communicative conditions for reciprocal altruism, found in some species; and indirect reciprocity, a form of cooperation typical in the hominin line.<br/><br/>Sharing intentions and beliefs about the future requires communication about what is not present in the current environment. Symbols are efficient tools for this kind of communication, and we argue that the benefits of cooperation for the future selected for the evolution of symbolic communication. In line with recent models describing how indirect reciprocity might develop into an evolutionarily stable strategy, we emphasize the need for yet more complex intersubjectivity and symbolic communication, including a minimal syntax.<br/><br/>Our argumentation triangulates hominin cognition, cooperation, and communication, showing how these interdependent factors mutually reinforce each other over the course of evolution. The new take in this article is the combined analyses of cooperation and cognitive mechanisms. Finally, our theses are linked to archaeological evidence.}},
author = {{Gärdenfors, Peter and Brinck, Ingar and Osvath, Mathias}},
booktitle = {{New perspectives on the symbolic species}},
editor = {{Stjernfeldt, F and Deacon, T and Schilhab, T}},
isbn = {{978-94-007-2336-8}},
issn = {{1875-4651}},
keywords = {{cognitive foresight; hominin evolution; intersubjectivity; cooperation; joint intention; reciprocal altruism}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{193--224}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Biosemiotics}},
title = {{The tripod effect : Evolutionary perspectives on cooperation, cognition and communication}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2336-8_10}},
doi = {{10.1007/978-94-007-2336-8_10}},
volume = {{6}},
year = {{2012}},
}