From Neurons to Culture: Applying Newell’s Systems Levels to Understanding the Impact of Culture

Allen Newell laid down highly influential principles for the study of cognition with his Systems Levels framework, but it is less well known that this framework also laid down the foundation for understanding social interaction and culture. Although his book Unified Theories of Cognition was focused on the cognitive level, Newell speculated what implications his theory might have for the study of culture. Although these particular ideas did not receive much attention at the time, this paper argues that Newell’s systems levels provide a valuable insight into the connection between brains and culture.