Curated · Resource
brown's list of human universals
Last updated: 🌞4th Aug 2024
| Tier | Human Universals |
|---|---|
| S+ | Language, Symbolism, Classification, Kinship, Cooperation, Reciprocity, Socialization, Institutions, Narrative, Planning, Tool Dependency, Moral Sentiments, Coalitions, Self/Other Distinction, Judging Others, Intention, Trade, Property, Law, Collective Identity |
| S | Marriage, Leadership, Fairness, Conflict Resolution, Territoriality, Division of Labor, Status & Roles, Promise, Reputation, Empathy, World View, Decision Making, Social Structure, Sanctions, Distinguishing Right and Wrong, Future/Past Time Concepts, Prestige Inequalities, Dominance/Submission, Lever- mechanical advantage |
| A | Religion, Myths, Rituals, Rites of Passage, Death Rituals, Magic, Divination, Music, Dance, Poetry, Aesthetics, Imagery, Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Proverbs, Ethnocentrism, Taboos, Mourning, Sexual Regulation, Incest Prevention |
| B | Childcare, Greetings, Etiquette, Play, Pretend Play, Toys, Body Adornment, Facial Communication, Facial Expressions, Visiting, Meal Times, Cooperative Labor, Customary Greetings, Coyness, Weaning, Childhood Fears, Attachment, Affection, Hope, Shame, Pride, Envy |
| C | Numerals, Measuring, Directions, Mental Maps, Memory, Abstraction, Conjectural Reasoning, Logical Notions, Taxonomy, Nomenclature, Making Comparisons, Classification of Flora/Fauna/Tools/Colors/Space, Semantic Categories, Metaphor, Metonym, Mentalese |
| D | Melody, Rhythm, Onomatopoeia, Pronouns, Nouns, Verbs, Morphemes, Phonemes, Linguistic Redundancy, Musical Repetition, Musical Variation, Poetic Line Structure, Synonyms, Antonyms, Polysemy, Color Terms, Proper Names, Personal Names |
| E | Baby Talk, Tickling, Thumb Sucking, Sucking Wounds, Right-Handedness, Sweets Preferred, Snakes Feared, Husband Older Than Wife, Critical Learning Periods, Childhood Fear of Loud Noises, Childhood Fear of Strangers, Habituation |
| F | Black Color Term, White Color Term, One (Numeral), Two (Numeral), Spear, Tying Material, Specific Speech-Sound Contrasts, Phoneme Inventory Size, Stop/Nonstop Contrasts, Vowel Contrasts |
The 12 “source codes”
| Tier | Source Code |
|---|---|
| God Tier | Language, Symbolism, Classification, Theory of Mind, Kinship, Reciprocity, Coalition Formation, Status Competition, Moral Sentiments, Future Simulation, Narrative, Tool Use |
Everything else on is largely downstream of those 12.
For example:
- Religion ← Narrative + Agency Detection + Coalitions
- Law ← Reciprocity + Moral Sentiments + Coalitions
- Trade ← Reciprocity + Future Simulation
- Marriage ← Kinship + Sexual Regulation
- Institutions ← Coalitions + Narrative + Status
- Myths ← Language + Narrative + Symbolism
- Prestige ← Status Competition
- Property ← Reciprocity + Future Simulation
🌞1st May 2025: iceberg would be a better format