Risk and Invention in Human Technological Evolution

Author: Fitzhugh B.

Source: Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Volume 20, Number 2, June 2001 , pp. 125-167(43)

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Abstract:

A central issue in archaeology is the study of technological change, and yet we have relatively little theory to explain the origin of technological novelty. Most models assume that inventions are generated as needed to solve adaptive problems. Alternatively, some view innovation as a creative and random process capable only of generating variation on which selection operates. This article considers the role of risk sensitivity in the production of technological invention. It is argued that evolutionary ecological models of risk and opportunity cost establish expectations for the contexts in which individuals are likely to stick to conservative technologies and when they are likely to be inventive. Archaeological evaluation of the risk-sensitivity theory of technological change requires attention to components of technological systems and their associated mechanical, operational, and strategic costs. The framework is examined with a case study of technological change from the prehistory of the Kodiak Archipelago in the Gulf of Alaska. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Keywords: risk; technology; invention; innovation; evolution; evolutionary ecology; evolutionary archaeology; kodiak; Alaska.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195-3100

Publication date: 2001-06-01