The major transitions in the evolution of cognition
Description
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Recent findings in comparative cognition seem to have confused rather than clarified our understanding of the evolution of cognition. In a world of algebraic bees and smart slime moulds is there any pattern to the evolution of cognitive capacity? Maynard Smith and Szathmary famously provided a framework for understanding the grand scheme of biological evolution by positing a few major transitions - such as the origins of chromosomes and multicellular life – which enabled radically different forms of life, new evolutionary options and increased evolvability. Here we propose that the evolution of cognition can also be comprehended as a series of major transitions: each transition being a qualitative change in the structure of information flow within systems. These transitions enabled new types of cognitive capacity while transforming the scope of existing cognitive abilities. Here we present each transition in term of system organization. We discuss the capacities enabled by each transition, and the consequences of this perspective for our understanding of the evolution of cognition and the diversity of animal intelligences.
Additional Info
The MIT Colloquium on the Brain and Cognition is a lecture series held weekly during the academic year and features a wide array of speakers from all areas of neuroscience and cognitive science research. The social teas that follow these colloquia bring together students, staff, and faculty to discuss the talk, as well as other research activities within Building 46, at MIT, and around the world. This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT. Colloquia are open to the community, and are held in MIT's Building 46, Room 3002 (Singleton Auditorium) at 4:00PM with a reception to follow.