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SCHOOL OF HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
in conjunction with the Sydney Centre for the Foundations of Science
RESEARCH SEMINAR SERIES
SEMESTER ONE 2021

TRANSITIONS IN THE EVOLUTION OF COGNITION
presented by
Andrew B. Barron
Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University

[https://mcusercontent.com/377ed99b00666e1febb7dbbc0/images/b2f2cec2-1372-4e07-80ce-6facc9ae7672.jpg]
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 transitions: each transition being a 
qualitative change in the structure of information flow within systems.  These 
transitions transformed the scope of cognitive capacities.  Here we present 
each transition in terms of system organization.  We discuss the consequences 
of this perspective for our understanding of the evolution of cognition and the 
diversity of animal intelligences.

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Unit for History and Philosophy of Science · University of Sydney · Sydney, NSW 
2006 · Australia

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