Cognitations EP #2 | Cognitive Approaches To Studying Culture | Olivier Morin
Oct 1, 2023
Olivier Morin, a tenured CNRS researcher at the Jean Nicod Institute and author of How Traditions Live and Die, dives into the fascinating world of cultural evolution. He explores how culture encompasses everything from art to social norms, discussing the complex factors driving cultural transmission and the distinction between micro-level and macro-level processes. Morin also examines non-imitative mechanisms in cultural transmission and the unique aspects of human culture compared to animal traditions. His insights offer a fresh perspective on how we understand the evolution of cultural practices.
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From Transmission To Enduring Traditions
- The core puzzle is how micro-level social learning produces macro-level, stable traditions across populations.
- Transmission mechanisms are many, but the hard problem is explaining repeated, population-level proliferation.
Non-Imitative Routes Can Spread Culture
- Important cultural transmission mechanisms need not be imitative; argumentation and non-imitative interactions can transmit beliefs.
- Rejects the dogma that high-fidelity imitation is necessary for cultural success.
Redundancy Makes Traditions Robust
- Robust traditions need widespread redundancy: many copies across many individuals to resist extinction.
- The 'Moses on Sinai' argument illustrates how simultaneous many witnesses create durable transmission.
