The Recursive Mind challenges the commonly held notion that language is what makes us uniquely human. In this compelling book, Michael Corballis argues that what distinguishes us in the animal kingdom is our capacity for recursion: the ability to embed our thoughts within other thoughts. "I think, therefore I am," is an example of recursive thought, because the thinker has inserted himself into his thought. Recursion enables us to conceive of our own minds and the minds of others. It also gives us the power of mental "time travel"--the ability to insert past experiences, or imagined future ones, into present consciousness.
Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, animal behavior, anthropology, and archaeology, Corballis demonstrates how these recursive structures led to the emergence of language and speech, which ultimately enabled us to share our thoughts, plan with others, and reshape our environment to better reflect our creative imaginations. He shows how the recursive mind was critical to survival in the harsh conditions of the Pleistocene epoch, and how it evolved to foster social cohesion. He traces how language itself adapted to recursive thinking, first through manual gestures, then later, with the emergence of Homo sapiens, vocally. Toolmaking and manufacture arose, and the application of recursive principles to these activities in turn led to the complexities of human civilization, the extinction of fellow large-brained hominins like the Neandertals, and our species' supremacy over the physical world.
Le informazioni nella sezione "Riassunto" possono far riferimento a edizioni diverse di questo titolo.
Le informazioni nella sezione "Su questo libro" possono far riferimento a edizioni diverse di questo titolo.
Spese di spedizione:
EUR 3,77
In U.S.A.
Descrizione libro Hardcover. Condizione: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Codice articolo Holz_New_0691145474
Descrizione libro Hardcover. Condizione: new. Brand New Copy. Codice articolo BBB_new0691145474
Descrizione libro Hardcover. Condizione: new. New. Codice articolo Wizard0691145474
Descrizione libro Condizione: New. Codice articolo 6918325-n
Descrizione libro Hardcover. Condizione: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Codice articolo think0691145474
Descrizione libro Condizione: new. Codice articolo FrontCover0691145474
Descrizione libro HRD. Condizione: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Codice articolo WP-9780691145471
Descrizione libro hardback. Condizione: New. Language: ENG. Codice articolo 9780691145471
Descrizione libro Condizione: new. Codice articolo 86dc1f5e4110937136a5016bcf4f1b5c
Descrizione libro Hardback. Condizione: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. Codice articolo B9780691145471