The School of Philosophy at RSSS recently hosted a thought-provoking workshop titled "Behavioural Modernity: Reframing the Idea, or Past its Use-By Date?". Held on 3 and 4 July, the event brought together philosophers of science, archaeologists, and a unique archaeologist-anthropologist/cognitive scientist to explore a pivotal period in human history – the Late Pleistocene (120,000 to 12,000 years ago).

This era witnessed dramatic change. The archaeological record reveals a diverse landscape with at least four human species present at the beginning. By the end, only our own species, Homo sapiens, remained. This period also saw expansion into new and harsher environments by humans, likely including Neanderthals and Denisovans. While technical and social advancements appear to have accelerated, the fossil record offers little evidence of physical change in humans and our extinct cousins. Additionally, genetic data suggests a close relationship between these species.

The workshop aimed to foster a collaborative discussion about these seemingly contradictory lines of evidence. Key questions revolved around what exactly happened during this period, why our species thrived while others vanished, and how we can move beyond viewing extinct humans as simply inferior versions of ourselves.

The ideas explored at the workshop will be further developed and published in a special issue of Biological Theory. The School of Philosophy extends its gratitude to Thomas Graham for his significant organisational efforts and to Christian Barry for his generous financial support.