This bold and brilliant book asks the ultimate question of the life sciences: How did the human mind acquire its incomparable power? In seeking the answer, Merlin Donald traces the evolution of human culture and cognition from primitive apes to artificial intelligence, presenting an enterprising and original theory of how the human mind evolved from its presymbolic form.
Merlin Donald is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Psychology at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.
Table of Contents
Prologue
PART 1: The Need for a Theory of Cognitive Evolution
Mental Architecture as an Emergent Phenomenon
Culture as Evidence for Cognitive Structure
The Organization of This Book
PART 2:
What People are Saying About This
A radically different evolutionary framework for the understanding of mind and behavior: I don't know when I have enjoyed reading a book more, or when I have learned so much from one.
Hans Moravec
A wonderful book that deserves to be read by everyone interested in the human mind. It weaves together the best available evidence into a convincing theory of cognition, culture, consciousness, and communication--their structure, evolution, meaning, and future. Carnegie Mellon University
Sheldon White
A radically different evolutionary framework for the understanding of mind and behavior: I don't know when I have enjoyed reading a book more, or when I have learned so much from one. Sheldon White, Harvard University