ABSTRACT
During the twentieth century, the concept of intentionality became associated to the brain. Through the naturalist school of philosophy, intentionality went from a concept related to action and grammar to a mechanism that can be placed inside the human head. For the naturalists, intentionality is above all a biological capacity that was gained by humans through an evolutionary process.
Despite the association of intentionality with the brain, not a single piece of evidence has ever been provided to demonstrate this association; in fact, it is very unlikely that science will ever identify intentionality inside the brain. This is because intentionality is not something that occurs from inside the human brain and expresses or embodies itself externally but is rather a social act among members of human societies. Intentionality is about living in a social manner.
The overfocus on brain anatomy has led archaeology towards simplified explanations of archaeological technology. This chapter engages with the transition from the middle to upper Palaeolithic lithic technology and argues that it is unlikely that the difference between these technologies has anything to do with the brain anatomy of the human species associated to them.
