Cultural evolution drove causal understanding more than causal understanding drove cultural evolution

Evidence

An enormous amount of scientific causal understanding, for example, has developed in trying to explain existing technologies, like the steam engine, hot air balloon, or airplane. A device or technology often preexisted the development of any causal understanding, but by existing , such cultural products opened a window on the world that facilitated the development of an improved causal understanding. That is, for much of human history until recently, cumulative cultural evolution drove the emergence of deeper causal understandings much more than causal understanding drove cultural evolution. — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 377

Categorization

• DEFINE: Reverses the intuitive arrow between understanding and practice; gives the whole book’s thesis traction.
• XREF: connects to: Cumulative cultural evolution drives selection for brains specialized to acquire cultural information. — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success: How Culture…, 218; Cultural evolution can create selection pressures stronger than natural ones — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success: How Culture…, 282; Complex tools preceded and drove the evolution of causal-model reasoning. — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success: How Culture…, 1041 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Complex tools preceded and drove the evolution of causal-model reasoning. #contradicts (0.85) — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 1041
• Cultural change can follow institutional change rather than precede it #corroborates (0.80) — , The Rod and the Child, 2237
• Cultural evolution can create selection pressures stronger than natural ones #corroborates (0.78) — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 282