Planer, Ronald J. and Pain, Ross (2024) Explaining Transitions in Human Behavioural Evolution: An Interventionist Perspective. [Preprint]
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Abstract
Transitions in human evolution (e.g., the appearance of a novel technological industry) are typically complex events involving change at both spatial and temporal scales. As such, we expect them to have multiple causes. Yet it is commonplace for theorists to prioritise a single causal factor (e.g., cognitive change) in explaining these events. One rationale for this is pragmatic: theorists are specialised in a particular area—say, lithics or cognitive psychology—and so focus on one particular cause, holding all others equal. But could single-factor explanations ever be justified on objective grounds? In this article, we explore this latter idea using a highly influential theory of causation from the philosophy of science literature; namely, interventionism. This theory defines causation in a minimal way, and then draws a range of distinctions among causes, producing a range of different causal concepts. We outline some of these distinctions and show how they can be used to articulate when privileging one cause among many is objectively justified—and, by extension, when it is not. We suggest the interventionist theory of causation is thus a useful tool for theorists developing causal explanations for human behavioural evolution.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Keywords: | Interventionism; single-factor explanations; actual difference making causation; specific causation; cultural complexity; behavioural modernity | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Anthropology Specific Sciences > Archaeology Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory General Issues > Causation |
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| Depositing User: | Dr Ross Pain | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 16 May 2024 10:53 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 16 May 2024 10:53 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 23441 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Anthropology Specific Sciences > Archaeology Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory General Issues > Causation |
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| Date: | 2024 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/23441 |
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- Explaining Transitions in Human Behavioural Evolution: An Interventionist Perspective. (deposited 16 May 2024 10:53) [Currently Displayed]
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