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Affordances, culture, and consciousness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2026

Ilya A. Kanaev Open the ORCID record for Ilya A. Kanaev [Opens in a new window]
Ilya A. Kanaev*
Affiliation:
Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China kanaev@qq.com
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

This comment examines ecological affordances as a bridge between science and philosophy. Building on Gibson’s insights, Ko and Neuberg’s framework presents consciousness as an adaptive, generative capacity. However, it currently risks oversimplifying life stages and cultural variability. Greater attention to cultural evolution and cross-cultural variation reveals consciousness as an adaptive skill, with generativity central to the future of human identity.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e70
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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