Pr Atsushi Iriki "Many Plausible Paths : Rethinking Causality and Sensemaking in Cognitive and Cultural Evolution"

Le Jeudi 4 Juin 2026, de 15h à 17h, le Professeur Atsushi Iriki (Université de Teikyo, Tokyo, Japon) donnera une conférence intitulée : "Many Plausible Paths : Rethinking Causality and Sensemaking in Cognitive and Cultural Evolution"

Résumé :
Modern science excels at identifying optimal solutions, that is, the single best path through a problem space. Yet minds, brains, and cultures routinely navigate complexity by keeping many possibilities alive simultaneously. Drawing on a "Path-Integral Causality" framework (inspired by Feynman’s formalism), I argue that outcomes in complex systems emerge from the interference of multiple plausible trajectories rather than linear optimisation. Building on evidence from primate tool-use and embodied cognition within a Triadic Niche Construction model, I suggest this framework offers a richer account of cognitive and cultural evolution (including the Sapient Paradox) and opens new conceptual tools for the human sciences. I will also discuss what this perspective implies for the role of philosophy within empirical research programmes.