Universal Explanation Before Cumulative Innovation: From Cognitive Reallocation to Collective Explanatory Search
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This working paper examines why universal explanatory capacity, if present in hominins as early as Homo erectus, did not immediately produce sustained cumulative technological innovation. It proposes a two-stage account. First, early universal explainers may have remained heavily dependent on genetically supplied coherent structures, with evolution gradually reallocating cognitive resources toward the construction of novel structure. Second, within Homo sapiens, increasingly powerful communication may have allowed conjectures and criticisms to operate across individuals and generations, enabling explanatory search to scale beyond the individual mind. On this view, the later acceleration of cumulative innovation reflects the progressive scaling and interconnection of universal explanation rather than its recent emergence. Early working draft (v0.1). This manuscript is under active development and may change substantially in subsequent versions.
Author: MacDonald, Ryan
Language: English
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204130153
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