Derivation of Human Constructs of Reality

One of the most intractable issues is the question of how humans attained the facility of creating models of reality. Whilst it is evident that such models always suffer from inherent constraints or shortcomings, the primary topic addressed here is the process facilitating their formulation rather than their validity. This is investigated by exploring the context and timing of this significant development in hominin history. The context is provided by the domestication theory, according to which the change from robust to gracile subspecies of _Homo sapiens_ was by unintended self-domestication rather than a 'speciation' event. Its numerous deleterious effects included a relatively rapid decrease in brain volume. Archaeological evidence implies that a cultural imperative most probably triggered the domestication syndrome through selective breeding. However, it also prompted the establishment of burgeoning systems of extracranial memory traces, compensating for diminishing brain volume and facilitating the expansion of cognitive resources. Competence in using external memory traces became an evolutionary selection criterion. The unique linkage they could provide between the human brain, our sentience and the external world rendered the establishment of constructs of reality feasible. Nevertheless, it provides no proof for their cogent veracity.