The Dual Inheritance Model

Tomasello refers primarily to one main point during his first two chapters. He dubs this point the "Dual Inheritance Model", with emphasis on both sociogenesis and cultural learning (53). Sociogenesis refers to a biological adaptation that allows for us to learn culturally; the "ratchet effect". Cultural learning allows individuals to not start from scratch when apprehending their environment; rather, we as humans have a biological capacity to recognize that for all antecedent and consequent relationships there is a medium of method and intention, i.e, causation, that bridges the antecedent and consequent.

He spends a lengthy amount of the first two chapters analyzing primate evolution to highlight that characteristic that is characteristically human, namely, cultural evolution. Though we share a significant percentage of genetic commonality with primates, Tomasello hypothesizes that our capacity to evolve culturally sets us apart from the primates. This also accounts for the evolution of the species across time, in that our special capacity allows for significant development, in terms of evolutionary history, and cultural history.

I find this hypothesis to be interesting, though with little time spent in genetics, I don't have much to add or subtract scientifically from his thesis. I guess I can simply say his account appears tenable to me and stimulates further interest in the book.