Marc van Duijn

Background

About Marc van Duijn

Psychology is primarily concerned with the study of human behavior. However, human cognition and consciousness have deep roots in biology that extend far back in evolutionary history. My research aims to shed light on the phylogeny of cognition, not from the common anthropocentric point of view, but rather from a bottom-up biological perspective. Just as there is a phylogenetic tree of life that maps the evolution of species, there is also a largely unexplored "tree" of biological intelligence that traces the evolution of all kinds of (proto)cognitive abilities across different species. My research focuses on uncovering the general structure of the latter, by investigating how biological organizational principles and selection pressures shape and constrain natural cognitive architectures. In addition to my research, I am also a teacher at the Open University. I teach several courses, including Evolutionary Psychology and Philosophy of Science, with an emphasis on analytical and critical thinking skills. I also supervise students who are working on their bachelor's and master's theses.