C01 Genes & Culture

Construction of a Materiamind Evolution Model Integrating Life Science and Material Cultural Studies (Genes & Culture Group)

All aspects of "humanity" have an evolutionary foundation. This applies to the development of civilization, which is thought to be unique to humans. The C01 group aims to elucidate the mechanisms behind the development of civilization by integrating three methodologies: proposing new evolutionary theories, evolutionary psychological understanding the human mind, and biologically clarifying human traits through comparisons with non-human animals. The C01 group will provide a new theoretical framework and elucidate "humanity" from a long-term evolutionary perspective, and contribute to this research area that seeks to present a new perspective on humanity by highlighting the significance of the interaction between the mind and the environment through the body, and the resulting culture and civilization.

Specifically, we will reconsider the gene-culture interaction from the perspective of biological niche construction, which posits that organisms modify their environments, and these changes influence future evolutionary paths. Using the "triadic niche construction model," based on the interaction of environment, cognition, and brain, as a foundation, the theoretical research team will develop a next-generation theoretical model by integrating "open-ended evolutionary algorithms" from the field of artificial life (where "open-ended" refers to systems with endless creativity, continuously evolving like nature). Building on this, the human empirical research team will experimentally verify the model by studying the interactions between genes and social environments through neurophysiological, cognitive, and behavioral research in humans. Additionally, the non-human empirical research team will conduct comparative studies with non-human animals and genetic modification experiments to clarify the evolutionary biological foundations of the "humanity" in civilization development.

Through the organic collaboration of theoretical construction, empirical verification in humans, and comparative studies with non-human animals, we aim to propose a new cultural evolution model that seamlessly integrates genes, neurophysiology, cognition, behavior, and society.