Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies
Finland
fellow
Roope Kaaronen
Home institution
University of Helsinki
Country of origin (home institution)
Finland
Discipline(s)
Anthropology and ethnology
Archeology and prehistory
Interdisciplinary
Mathematics
Neuroscience and cognitive science
Theme(s)
Behavior & Cognition
Cultural Studies
Fellowship dates
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Biography
Roope Kaaronen is a multidisciplinary human scientist interested in how cultures and technologies evolve. His research explores how people, across vastly different times and places, have solved everyday problems and built knowledge systems. Currently, he is investigating the evolution of string technologies, an area he calls ethnotopology, and examining the role of play in shaping cultural and cognitive evolution. Kaaronen’s work combines cognitive science, anthropology, ethnomathematics, archaeology, and computational methods. He tries to apply his research to help preserve a more culturally and ecologically diverse world.
Research Project
Minds at Play: Tracing the cultural roots of complex cognition and technological innovation through games and play
Roope Kaaronen’s project explores the relationship between playful activities and the evolution of human thought and technology. By focusing on material culture like string and toys, his work studies how these cultural expressions have influenced cognitive development and technological innovation throughout (pre-)history. The project uses an interdisciplinary approach, combining cross-cultural ethnography, mathematics, archaeology, and computational methods, to understand and model the cultural evolution of playful activities. The goal is to understand how our tendency to seek cognitive challenges in our leisure time may have contributed to complex material and symbolic culture, providing fresh perspectives on the drivers of human creativity and technological change.
Research Interests:
Cognitive science, anthropology, cultural evolution