Societies learn and yet the world is hard to change

Abstract

Evolution and learning are two analytically distinct concepts. People learn yet evolution ("change") does not necessarily take place. To clarify this problem the concept of learning is explicated. A first problem addressed is the question of who is learning. Here a shift from the single actor perspective to an interaction perspective is proposed (using Habermas and Luhmann as theoretical arguments for such a shift). Both however idealize he preconditions that interactants share while learning collectively. Against rationalist assumptions it is argued that in order to learn people need a narratively based shared world. What do they learn? They acquire knowledge and they learn how to learn. This still does not solve the problem why they learn. Going beyond the idea of self-propelling learning processes situations of uncertainty are identified as the mechanism of learning, naming situations of breakdown of narrative orders the deepest uncertainty to foster learning. Learning, this is the conclusion, does not guarantee evolution. It however provides the mutations for evolutionary processes to take place.