Cognitive Science, Psychological Anthropology, Evolution, Cognitive Psychology
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Overview
Our ability to 'think' is really one of our most puzzling characteristics. What it would be like to be unable to think? What would it be like to lack self-awareness? The complexity of this activity is striking. 'Thinking' involves the interaction of a range of mental processes--attention, emotion, memory, planning, self-consciousness, free will, and language. So where did these processes arise? What evolutionary advantages were bestowed upon those with an ability to deceive, to plan, to empathize, or to understand the intention of others? In this compelling new work, Peter Gardenfors embarks on an evolutionary detective story to try and solve one of the big mysteries surrounding human existence--how has the modern human being's way of thinking come into existence. He starts by taking in turn the more basic cognitive processes, such as attention and memory, then builds upon these to explore more complex behaviors, such as self-consciousness, mindreading, and imitation. Having done this, he examines the consequences of "putting thought into the world" -i.e., using external media like cave paintings, drawings, and writing. Immensely readable and humorous, the book will be valuable for students in psychology and biology, and accessible to readers of popular science.
Synopsis
Writing for general readers, Gärdenfors (cognitive science, Lund U., Sweden) presents his own theory of the evolution of thinking, which synthesizes material from several scientific disciplines. He also tells how the cognitive capacities of Homo sapiens were shaped. He cites no date or publisher for the Swedish original, which emerged from The Cognitive Revolution project conducted by the Institute for Future Studies. The English edition has been updated and revised. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Book Details
Published
March 1, 2006
Publisher
Oxford University Press, USA
Pages
250
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780198528517