Evolution and the Human Mind: Modularity, Language and Meta-Cognition

by Peter Carruthers (Editor), Andrew Chamberlain (Editor)

Overview

How did our minds evolve? Can evolutionary considerations illuminate the question of the basic architecture of the human mind? These are two of the main questions addressed in Evolution and the Human Mind by a distinguished interdisciplinary team of philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists and archaeologists. The volume will be of great interest to all researchers and students interested in the evolution and nature of the mind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521783316
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/02/2000
Pages:	348
Product dimensions:	6.18(w) x 9.29(h) x 1.06(d)

Table of Contents

List of contributors; Preface; 1. Introduction Peter Carruthers and Andrew Chamberlain; 2. Massively modular minds: evolutionary psychology and cognitive architecture Richard Samuels; 3. Individual differences in early understanding of mind: genes, non-shared environment and modularity Claire Hughes and Robert Plomin; 4. Darwin in the madhouse: evolutionary psychology and the classification of mental disorders Dominic Murphy and Stephen Stich; 5. Evolution of the modern mind and the origins of culture: religious concepts as a limiting case Pascal Boyer; 6. Symmetry and the evolution of the modular linguistic mind Thomas Wynn; 7. Evolution, communication and the proper function of language Gloria Origgi and Dan Sperber; 8. The evolution of knowledge David Papineau; 9. Mind, brain and material culture: an archaeological perspective Steven Mithen; 10. The evolution of strategic thinking Adam Morton; 11. On the origin of the human mind Robin Dunbar; 12. The evolution of consciousness Peter Carruthers; 13. Evolution, consciousness and the internality of the mind Jim Hopkins; References; Author index; Subject index.

Editorial Reviews

Philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists, and archaeologists explore how evolutionary considerations can illuminate the basic architecture of the human mind. They focus especially on issues to do with the modularity of the mind, the evolution and significance of natural language, and the evolution of the capacity to think about thinking. Among the topics are evolutionary psychology and the classification of mental disorders, the evolution of strategic thinking, and symmetry and the evolution of the modular linguistic mind. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"...anthropological linguists who read it will be better informed about the deep questions, both historical and conceptual, that lurk behind their investigations of language and culture in the contemporary world." Anthropological Linguistics

From the Publisher