Comparative Cognitive Science: Unlucky for Some?

Archaeologists, paleontologists and other practitioners of the historical sciences use trace-based evidence to uncover truths about the deep past. As Adrian Currie argues, they operate in epistemically unlucky circumstances: the trace-based evidence available is often faint, gappy and weak. In this talk, I’ll draw some parallels between the epistemic situation faced by archaeologists and that faced by comparative cognitive scientists. I’ll argue that comparative cognitive scientists also operate with trace-based evidence in unlucky circumstances, and consider what tools are available to offset this bad luck.