Abstract
Abstract Humans and their predecessors have modified the surface of Earth in an unparalleled way, raising the question of the neurocognitive origins of technical cognition. Surprisingly, cognitive scientists do not seem to pay attention to this topic and address it marginally, as if human technical skills did not reflect the existence of cognitive skills specifically directed toward the physical world. This chapter introduces a diametrically opposite approach: The technical reasoning hypothesis, which has initially received support from findings in neuropsychology and cognitive science. This hypothesis posits that technical cognition originates in technical reasoning skills, which involve notably the area PF within the left inferior parietal lobe. These skills are critical to enable humans to develop the technical potential necessary to constantly acquire and improve tools and techniques over generations. Recent advances indicated that this hypothesis could also be extended to explain how technical reasoning, in concert with social learning mechanisms, can favor the emergence of cumulative technological culture. The technical reasoning hypothesis offers a unified neurocognitive approach to how humans and their predecessors have modified their physical world by making and using tools as well as building constructions.
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