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The Ādam Paradox Hypothesis 49
Roess Cognitive Scale (levels, signatures, examples)
C0 — Pre-symbolic capacity: Local tool traditions; no abstract motifs;
short transmission chains. Signatures: utilitarian lithics only; ephemeral
marks. (Archaic Homo, early Middle Stone Age) (Roess, 2025).
C1 — Episodic symboling (sparks): Sporadic pigment use;
shells/marks without persistence; fragile social memory. Signatures:
isolated ochre/engraving episodes; no lineage continuity [Henshilwood et
al., 2002; McBrearty & Brooks, 2000].
C2 — Local symbolic codes: Repeated motifs within a region; limited
persistence. Signatures: standardized marks on containers/ornaments,
then collapse under stress [Texier et al., 2010].
C3 — Stabilized symbolic networks: Traditions persist across sites and
generations. Signatures: durable ornament sets, ritual burials, regional style
drift [Mellars, 2006].
C4 — Cumulative symbolic culture (ignition): Figurative art, music,
mythic narratives; compounding innovation. Signatures: figurines, cave
art, instruments, complex burials across continents [Conard, 2009; Aubert
et al., 2014].
C5 — Hyper-symbolic culture: Writing, states, science, digital
abstraction. Signatures: monumental architecture, formalized myth,
information technologies. (Holocene to present) (Roess, 2025).
Table 7.1 — Roess Cognitive Scale (C0–C5) → 1–100