ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part describes research from cognitive sciences on the early development of collective intentionality in children. It discusses that this research employs pre-theoretical notions of collective intentionality, and as such may yield results that reveal certain philosophical accounts to be better or worse suited to accommodate the empirical findings. The part presents an account of the evolution of collective intentionality. It also describes the evolution of full-blown collective intentionality as involving a particularly important "middle step," the evolution of the capacity to engage in small-scale, temporary, face-to-face interactions, such as taking a walk together. The part suggests the latter response, which opens up the possibility that there are forms of collective intentionality that are distinct from those found in humans.
