Abstract

In this paper, we will review some of the most influential theories concerning the human capability to use tools, and we will make a case for the notion that none of them, considered in itself, offers an overarching explanation for this complex ability. We will also provide our own suggestion, arguing that the Peircean notions of «abduction» and «habit» offer an interesting point of view to elaborate current knowledge on this topic from the conceptual, functional and neural point of view. In particular, the attention to different types of abduction advocated by the American pragmatist will allow us to sketch an embodied and enactive theory of tool behavior, bridging sensorimotor and cognitive aspects of tool use.