Cognitive Intraspecific Selection in Education: From Individualism to Collective Strength

This study introduces the paradigm of Cognitive Intraspecific Selection, systematically transposing the biological concept of intraspecific selection into the field of education. In biological systems, competition regulates access to limited resources among individuals of the same species; in this paradigm, however, the unit of selection shifts from students to ideas (cognitive constructs).

The model is structured around four isomorphisms:

• Variation – epistemic diversity;

• Selection – critical comparison of ideas;

• Heritability – cultural transmission;

• Adaptation – conceptual evolution.

Drawing inspiration from ethology, where intraspecific competition often evolves into ritualized behaviors that preserve group cohesion, this paradigm encourages constructive confrontation of ideas without penalizing individuals.

To operationalize the model, the study proposes Pyragogy, an evolutionary peer-to-peer pedagogy grounded in three mechanisms:

1. Cognitive Reciprocation – collaborative exchange of ideas;

2. Ritualization of Conflict – constructive management of divergences;

3. Facilitation through Artificial Intelligence – amplifying and guiding cognitive interactions.

The empirical validation of the model is supported by innovative metrics, such as the Epistemic Quality Index (EQI), and an experimental design called IdeoEvo.

The theoretical implications suggest that cognitive intraspecific selection can transform traditionally competitive educational environments into collaborative contexts, where group cognitive fitness emerges not from individual supremacy but from the dynamic interplay of intuitions, hypotheses, creative impulses, and the analytical-computational power of AI, which intensifies and accelerates the evolutionary process of concepts.

Keywords: intraspecific selection, evolutionary education, epistemic competition, ritualized cognitive conflict, peeragogy, pyragogy