[Paper Review] Autocatalytic closure in a cognitive system: A tentative scenario for the origin of culture

Liane Gabora|ArXiv.org|Jan 18, 1999

Origins and Evolution of Life35 references52 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes that autocatalytic networks of episodic memories in Homo erectus gave rise to a self-sustaining cognitive system enabling mimetic culture, using Kauffman's model of autocatalytic closure to explain how isolated memories coalesced into a structured, self-referential worldview through social interaction. The key contribution is a theoretical framework linking cognitive evolution to autocatalytic information networks.

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a speculative model of the cognitive mechanisms underlying the transition from episodic to mimetic (or memetic) culture with the arrival of Homo erectus, which Donald [1991] claims paved the way for the unique features of human culture. The model draws on Kauffman's [1993] theory of how an information-evolving system emerges through the formation of an autocatalytic network. Though originally formulated to explain the origin of life, this theory also provides a plausible account of how discrete episodic memories become woven into an internal model of the world, or worldview, that both structures, and is structured by, self-triggered streams of thought. Social interaction plays a role in (and may be critical to) this process. Implications for cognitive development are explored.

Motivation & Objective

• To explain the cognitive transition from episodic to mimetic culture in early humans.
• To explore how isolated memories could form a self-sustaining cognitive system through autocatalytic processes.
• To investigate the role of social interaction in enabling the emergence of a structured internal worldview.
• To apply Kauffman's autocatalytic network theory—originally for the origin of life—to cognitive and cultural evolution.
• To model how self-triggered thought streams emerge from interconnected memories.

Proposed method

• Adapts Kauffman's autocatalytic network theory to model the emergence of cognitive systems from episodic memories.
• Models memory networks as mutually reinforcing interactions where each memory catalyzes the formation of others.
• Introduces social interaction as a mechanism that enhances network formation and stability.
• Frames the cognitive system as a self-sustaining loop where internal representations trigger further thought without external input.
• Uses the concept of 'closure' to describe a system where all components are mutually supportive and self-replicating.
• Applies the model to the cognitive transition in Homo erectus as a plausible scenario for cultural emergence.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How could episodic memories in early humans evolve into a self-sustaining cognitive system?
• RQ2 What mechanisms enable the transition from isolated memories to a structured, internalized worldview?
• RQ3 In what way does social interaction facilitate the formation of autocatalytic memory networks?
• RQ4 How does autocatalytic closure in cognition mirror similar processes in the origin of life?
• RQ5 What role does self-triggered thought play in the emergence of mimetic culture?

Key findings

• The model demonstrates that autocatalytic networks of memories can form a self-sustaining cognitive system capable of generating internal thought streams.
• Autocatalytic closure allows episodic memories to cohere into a stable, self-referential worldview that structures cognition.
• Social interaction is posited as a critical factor in enabling and stabilizing the formation of such networks.
• The transition to mimetic culture is explained as an emergent property of this autocatalytic cognitive architecture in Homo erectus.
• The system's self-sustaining nature implies that once formed, the cognitive model can persist and evolve independently of external stimuli.
• The framework provides a plausible mechanism for how discrete memories could become integrated into a coherent, culture-generating cognitive system.