Social norms, mentalising, and common knowledge, in making peace and war

Behav Brain Sci. 2024 Jan 15;47:e23. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X23002522.ABSTRACTThe emergence of social norms would have been dependent on the evolution of the cognitive capacity for mentalising to multiple orders of intentionality. Common knowledge is a related phenomenon that can solve coordination problems. That the same cognitive and social mechanisms should facilitate both peace and war is resonant with Girard's scapegoat hypothesis on the relationship between violence and religion.PMID:38224096 | DOI:10.1017/S0140525X23002522

Source: The Behavioral and Brain Sciences - January 15, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Vincent Riordan Source Type: research