Dani, Gianmaria and Ramsey, Grant (2025) Tool Use Beyond Humans. Philosophy of Science, 92 (4). pp. 883-899. ISSN 1539-767X

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Abstract

The definition of tool use has long been debated, especially when applied beyond humans. Recent work argues that the phenomena included within tool use are so broad and varied that there is little hope of using the category for scientific generalizations, explanations, and predictions about the evolution, ecology, and psychology of tool users. One response to this argument has been the development of tooling as a replacement for tool use. In this article, we
analyze the tool use and tooling frameworks. Identifying advantages and limitations in each, we offer a synthetic approach that suggests promising avenues for future research.

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Item Type:	Published Article or Volume
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Dani, Gianmaria gianmaria.dani@kuleuven.be 0000-0002-0181-2305 Ramsey, Grant grant@theramseylab.org 0000-0002-8712-5521
Keywords:	tool use; animal behavior; tooling
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Anthropology Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology Specific Sciences > Psychology > Comparative Psychology and Ethology General Issues > Technology
Depositing User:	Dr. Grant Ramsey
Date Deposited:	19 Jan 2026 13:31
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2026 13:31
Item ID:	27952
Journal or Publication Title:	Philosophy of Science
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Official URL:	https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/philosophy...
DOI or Unique Handle:	https://doi.org/10.1017/psa.2025.21
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Anthropology Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology Specific Sciences > Psychology > Comparative Psychology and Ethology General Issues > Technology
Date:	2025
Page Range:	pp. 883-899
Volume:	92
Number:	4
ISSN:	1539-767X
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/27952

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