Coversheet for social inheritance and the social mind: Introduction to the synthese topical collection on the cultural evolution of human social cognition

Abstract

In this introduction to the Synthese SI: The Cultural Evolution of Human Social Cognition, we introduce some basic theoretical terms that will help readers to navigate the volume. Subsequently we describe the papers that make up the volume and draw attention to points of agreement and disagreement between the authors. We also identify a number of outstanding issues for the field of cultural evolution research. The papers in the volume can be divided into three sections: (1) The Cultural Evolution of Mindreading, (2) The Cultural Evolution of Ethics and Aesthetics, and (3) Methodological Challenges.