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Subjective selection needs socially transmitted goals and culturally evolving problems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2026

James Winters Open the ORCID record for James Winters [Opens in a new window]  and
Mathieu Charbonneau Open the ORCID record for Mathieu Charbonneau [Opens in a new window]
James Winters*
Affiliation:
Centre for Culture and Evolution, Brunel University of London, London, UK james.winters@brunel.ac.uk https://j-winters.github.io
Mathieu Charbonneau
Affiliation:
Africa Institute for Research in Economics and Social Sciences, Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique, Rabat, Morocco mathieu.charbonneau@um6p.ma https://mathieucharbonneau.wordpress.com
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Our commentary aims to enrich Singh’s subjective selection framework in two fundamental ways. First, language is necessary for coordinating on shared instrumental goals. Without it, the explanatory burden rests largely on evolved psychology. Second, goals themselves are culturally constructed, socially transmitted, and cumulatively evolving over time. This co-evolutionary dynamic between problems and solutions exceeds what fixed psychological hierarchies can explain.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e310
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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