{"title":"Revisiting “Tool” for a More Unified and Holistic Definition in Animal Behavior","authors":"Jayashree Mazumder, Parth Randhir Chauhan","doi":"10.1002/evan.70014","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n <p>Understanding the concept of “tool” is vital for the study of animal behavior and cognition. The definition of what exactly constitutes a tool, its characteristics, and the corresponding behaviors is pivotal yet challenging due to its often arbitrary and anthropocentric nature. This ambiguity hinders our comprehension and necessitates further exploration into the essence of tools. A precise and widely accepted definition is critical for progress in fields such as anthropology, cognitive science, and evolutionary biology, enabling a more focused study on the evolution of tool use. It is important to identify why and how certain objects become tools among different species, including humans. This paper seeks to refine the definition of a “<i>tool</i>” by synthesizing prior research involving tools, tooling, or tool-using animals, aiming to offer a unified framework that can support and guide future research endeavors in understanding the intricacies and evolution of tool use across species.</p>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":47849,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Anthropology","volume":"34 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Evolutionary Anthropology","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/evan.70014","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ANTHROPOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Understanding the concept of “tool” is vital for the study of animal behavior and cognition. The definition of what exactly constitutes a tool, its characteristics, and the corresponding behaviors is pivotal yet challenging due to its often arbitrary and anthropocentric nature. This ambiguity hinders our comprehension and necessitates further exploration into the essence of tools. A precise and widely accepted definition is critical for progress in fields such as anthropology, cognitive science, and evolutionary biology, enabling a more focused study on the evolution of tool use. It is important to identify why and how certain objects become tools among different species, including humans. This paper seeks to refine the definition of a “tool” by synthesizing prior research involving tools, tooling, or tool-using animals, aiming to offer a unified framework that can support and guide future research endeavors in understanding the intricacies and evolution of tool use across species.
期刊介绍：
Evolutionary Anthropology is an authoritative review journal that focuses on issues of current interest in biological anthropology, paleoanthropology, archaeology, functional morphology, social biology, and bone biology — including dentition and osteology — as well as human biology, genetics, and ecology. In addition to lively, well-illustrated articles reviewing contemporary research efforts, this journal also publishes general news of relevant developments in the scientific, social, or political arenas. Reviews of noteworthy new books are also included, as are letters to the editor and listings of various conferences. The journal provides a valuable source of current information for classroom teaching and research activities in evolutionary anthropology.
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