Cecilia Heyes

One of the most compelling books of cognitive science I've read in a long time. Heyes covers a huge amount of ground in a relatively short book: her core argument involves a novel view of the evolutionary basis of human behavior based on a comprehensive theory of metacognitive capacities (the "gadgets" of the title) and how they're passed on, but in demonstrating her idea of "cultural evolutionary psychology" she also gives compelling reinterpretations of how humans learn to pay attention, to imitate, to "mindread," and to use language. She even manages to sneak in a short personal definition of "human nature." The notion that the standard patterns of associational learning present in all animals are the basis for humans' unique, domain-specific methods of learning is counterintuitive at first, but by the end of the book I was convinced that Heyes has bridged a vital gap and put the uniquely "cultural" aspects of human life on a far firmer genetic/mechanical ground without giving fodder to crass biological determinism.… (més)