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24.02.2026 14:30
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Oops, broken link above. Find it here: mathieucharbonneau.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
Oops, broken link. Find it here: mathieucharbonneau.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
Combinatorial invention should therefore be understood not simply as producing composite traits, but as generating a manifold of interrelated lineages. This framework provides methodological grounds for reconstructing invention processes and refining evolutionary models of technological change.
Crucially, solving the problem of interfacing stone points and wooden shafts generated new traditions of joints (adhesives, binders, haft types). These interface systems formed technological lineages alongside the composite tool itself.
The invention of the hafted tool (~500 kya) serves as a case study. Hafting was not a single recombination event, but a multi-tiered process involving:
(1) Functional organization
(2) Material implementation
(3) Assembly procedures
Methodologically, the strategy works backward from complex composites by tracking the evolutionary signals of their sub-components—treating modules and interfaces as lineage-forming traits in their own right.
I propose three criteria for identifying genuine design sub-problems to detect the evolutionary signals of combinatorial inventions:
• Novelty
• Necessity
• Cultural transmission
Rather than modeling invention as random “lock-and-key” recombination, I argue that combining technologies requires solving multiple design sub-problems, especially those involving interfaces between components.
I develop a framework for understanding combinatorial invention as both (1) a recursive design problem-solving process and (2) a lineage-generating evolutionary process. Invention does not merely produce composites—it generates new technological traditions.
Combinatorial invention—the emergence of new technologies through combining existing ones—is central to technological evolution, yet its internal mechanics remain under-theorized. Models often treat it as a stochastic recombination process. This paper opens the “black box.”
New preprint available about combinatorial invention!
Reconstructing Combinatorial Inventions Through Design Problem Analysis osf.io/preprints/ps...
All proposals should be submitted by email to ces2026@um6p.ma
Post 13/13 📩
All activities proposals, video submissions, and further questions should be sent to CES2026@um6p.ma
Post 1/13 📢🧵
Call for activities proposals !
You are invited to submit proposals for three activities to be held during the upcoming CES2026 conference:
Due to the the high volume of submissions received, abstract decision notifications for the upcoming Cultural Evolution Society 2026 Conference in Rabat are slightly delayed.
Expect to see it in your inbox in ~ 1 week, and fingers crossed you got your presentation of choice!
The deadline has been extended - there is still time to get your abstracts in to join us in Morocco!
The submission deadline for #CESRabat has been extended to 30 November
@ces2026.bsky.social @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social
👉 A reminder that the deadline for submitting your abstract to the CES 2026 #CESRabat is the 16th of November.
🔗Submit here: airess.fgses-um6p.ma/ces2026
We look forward to seeing you in Rabat!
👉 A reminder that the deadline for submitting your abstract to the CES 2026 #CESRabat is the 16th of November.
🔗Submit here: airess.fgses-um6p.ma/ces2026
We look forward to seeing you in Rabat!
Looks great! ToC here: mitp-content-server.mit.edu/books/conten...
Book launch for “Methods in the Philosophy of Science: a user’s guide”. Ftf in Exeter and online on the 29th of Sept feat Sophie Veigl, Kerry McKenzie, Hasok Chang, and me. It should be fun! (the book will be open access in July, contact me in the meantime) www.exeter.ac.uk/events/detai... #philsci
We’re delighted to share that the CES2026 Conference website is now live!
We warmly invite researchers, scholars, and practitioners to submit their presentation proposals by November 16th through the submission portal on the website.
Find out more on the new conference website: airess.fgses-um6p.ma/ces2026
Presentation submissions are open until November 16, with four submission formats: standard talks (15-20 minutes), lightning talks (5 minutes), poster presentations, and thematic sessions.
The count down starts for #CESRabat! Follow @ces2026.bsky.social and join us May 11-13 next year for an exciting meeting in Rabat, Morocco.
Massive thanks to the #CESRabat organising committee:
Sarah Alami (co-chair)
Mathieu Charbonneau (co-chair)
Zachary Garfield
Edmond Seabright
We are delighted to announce that the CES2026 conference website is now live! We invite you to submit your presentation proposals using the link on the webpage, deadline November 16th:
airess.fgses-um6p.ma/ces2026
🚨🚨 New preprint 📜 with Mathieu Charbonneau (@matcharbonneau.bsky.social): Modelling the emergence of open-ended technological evolution (arxiv.org/abs/2508.04828). Feedback welcomed! #Evolution #Technology #Culture #OpenEnded #TechnologicalEvolution #CulturalEvolution 🧵: 1/29
8/8 This contributes to understanding human technological uniqueness *by identifying a mechanism and explaining the dynamics* that enable open-ended cultural evolution, how we escape the optimization traps that constrain other species and achieve truly unbounded technological development.
7/8 This process differs from cumulative optimization because it involves expanding the range of problems that can be solved (evolvability) rather than optimizing solutions to existing problems (adaptation). It's about accessing new problems, not just solving old ones better.
6/8 I propose a model for how cultural evolution of increasingly sophisticated cognitive technologies enables access to previously unreachable invention problems, driving open-ended technological change.