Instinctul transmiterii culturale
The Instinct of Cultural Transmission

Summary/Abstract: Much has been written about the differences between humans and animals. Among the defining characteristics that distinguish human beings from other animals is, undoubtedly, cultural transmission. This phenomenon takes many forms, ranging from the simplest tribal and mythological traditions to the most complex expressions of religious spirituality; from the informal relationship between master and disciple to the institutional framework of the school; and from the mysterious “talent” understood as the epigenetic inheritance of a creative or expressive disposition to the deliberate pursuit of artistic, literary, or scientific creation. The author asks whether it is possible to speak of an instinct—or an innate impulse—for cultural transmission as a distinctive feature of human nature. He further examines the arguments advanced by neuroscience and philosophy in support of such a view.

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