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Refus de la simplicité et individualisme cognitif

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  • Nathaniel T.Wilcox

Abstract

[fre] La neuroéconomie est un bel exemple d’investigation approfondie de la connaissance de l’individu. Cet outil est soutenu par l’hypothèse implicite selon laquelle « l'homme individuel » est le fameux « agent » de l'économie néoclassique. Nous soutenons ici que cette supposition n'est ni simplement correcte, ni d'une importance primordiale pour la société économique des hommes. En particulier nous suggérons que le principal génie du genre humain tient dans sa capacité à accumuler des artefacts cognitifs physiques et sociaux qui échouent en grande partie aux limitations biologiques innées des individus. C'est essentiellement pourquoi nos économies s’accroissent, et par conséquent nous devrions être plus intéressés par la connaissance distribuée dans des groupes que par la connaissance individuelle. Nous devrions aussi être davantage concernés par l'accumulation culturelle d'artefacts cognitifs comme les dispositifs computationnels et les médias, les structures sociales et les institutions économiques. [eng] Against Simplicity and Cognitive Individualism. . Neuroeconomics illustrates our deepening descent into the details of individual cognition. This descent is guided by the implicit assumption that "individual human" is the important "agent" of neoclassical economics. I argue here that this assumption is neither obviously correct, nor of primary importance to human economies. In particular I suggest that the main genius of the human species lies with its ability to distribute cognition across individuals, and to incrementally accumulate physical and social cognitive artefacts that largely obviate the innate biological limitations of individuals. If this is largely why our economies grow, then we should be much more interested in distributed cognition in human groups, and correspondingly less interested in individual cognition. We should also be much more interested in the cultural accumulation of cognitive artefacts : computational devices and media, social structures and economic institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Nathaniel T.Wilcox, 2009. "Refus de la simplicité et individualisme cognitif," Revue Française d'Économie, Programme National Persée, vol. 23(4), pages 175-189.
  • Handle: RePEc:prs:rfreco:rfeco_0769-0479_2009_num_23_4_1710
    DOI: 10.3406/rfeco.2009.1710
    Note: DOI:10.3406/rfeco.2009.1710
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