Tool evolution as a prerequisite for consciousness.
Reviews in the neurosciences February 20, 2025 Carsten Korth 1 citation
Tool evolution follows Darwinian principles: tools are phenotypes replicated through socially transmitted building instructions, modified by selection for human needs. The ostensive triangle—a pointer, an observer, and an object—enables social transmission of motor-act sequences that replicate tools for convenience or fitness rewards. Tools synchronize perceptions, create psychological understanding, and reshape social networks. Massive tool fabrication has accelerated prosociality and the development of a third-person perspective. This cumulative cultural evolution, entangled with biological evolution, selected traits that enhance social transmission, making tool evolution and individual instructional content prerequisites for higher cognition and consciousness.