ABSTRACT
In the form of family, organizational, and societal systems, humans group together for many purposes. Some of those purposes require learning, whether for a time-limited purpose or as part of the group’s ongoing function. Yet human learning often remains framed in terms of the individual’s progress or lack thereof even when conceptualized as a relational process. In contrast, a natural systems perspective—drawing on the principles of biology—offers a conception of learning that applies to any living organism, whether a single-celled bacterium or a group of humans functioning as a living, transgenerational entity. Thus, if we think of human groups as capable of learning, how can we tell when some groups are no longer doing so? When does the transmission of culture, for example, support learning and when does it contribute to nonlearning? The scientific method is discussed as an example of a natural human process that becomes institutionalized over time, sometimes in support of further discoveries for individuals and for the group, and sometimes with the inadvertent effect of shutting down such evolving understanding of our world and our lives.
