Steak tournedos or beef Wellington: an attempt to understand the meaning of Stone Age transformative techniques

This paper proposes a new framework for interpreting Stone Age transformative techniques—processes that alter material properties using fire—by drawing an analogy to modern cooking. The author argues that the complexity of a technique is not a reliable measure of its cognitive demands, instead proposing three testable hypotheses based on time/resource investment, difficulty/risk of failure, and the necessity of purposeful invention versus accidental discovery. These hypotheses offer a quantitative approach to understanding human uniqueness and cultural evolution, moving beyond subjective interpretations of complexity.

Patrick Schmidt