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The Original Sin of Cognitive Science
Article first published online: 14 MAY 2012
DOI: 10.1111/j.1756-8765.2012.01195.x
Copyright © 2012 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.
Additional Information
How to Cite
Levinson, S. C. (2012), The Original Sin of Cognitive Science. Topics in Cognitive Science, 4: 396–403. doi: 10.1111/j.1756-8765.2012.01195.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 11 JUL 2012
- Article first published online: 14 MAY 2012
- Received 29 June 2011; received in revised form 6 August 2011; accepted 17 December 2011
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Keywords:
- Language diversity;
- Cultural diversity;
- Evolutionary processes
Abstract
Classical cognitive science was launched on the premise that the architecture of human cognition is uniform and universal across the species. This premise is biologically impossible and is being actively undermined by, for example, imaging genomics. Anthropology (including archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology) is, in contrast, largely concerned with the diversification of human culture, language, and biology across time and space—it belongs fundamentally to the evolutionary sciences. The new cognitive sciences that will emerge from the interactions with the biological sciences will focus on variation and diversity, opening the door for rapprochement with anthropology.