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The Extended Mind: The Emergence of Language, the Human Mind, and Culture
The ability to communicate through language is such a fundamental part of human existence that we often take it for granted, rarely considering how sophisticated the process is by which we understand and make ourselves understood. In The Extended Mind , acclaimed author Robert K. Logan examines the origin, emergence, and co-evolution of language, the human mind, and culture. Building on his previous study, The Sixth Language (2000) and making use of emergence theory, Logan seeks to explain how language emerged to deal with the complexity of hominid existence brought about by tool-making, control of fire, social intelligence, coordinated hunting and gathering, and mimetic communication. The resulting emergence of language, he argues, signifies a fundamental change in the functioning of the human mind - a shift from percept-based thought to concept-based thought. From the perspective of the Extended Mind model, Logan provides an alternative to and critique of Noam Chomsky's approach to the origin of language. He argues that language can be treated as an organism that evolved to be easily acquired, obviating the need for the hard-wiring of Chomsky's Language Acquisition Device. In addition Logan shows how, according to this model, culture itself can be treated as an organism that has evolved to be easily attained, revealing the universality of human culture as well as providing an insight as to how altruism might have originated. Bringing timely insights to a fascinating field of inquiry, The Extended Mind will be sure to find a wide readership.
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2007
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April 21, 2013
Since we are limited to informed speculation concerning the question of language's origin, we might as well choose a guide free of the petty partialities of experts. R Logan brings a physicist's intellect and insights to the task.
This turns out to be a patient survey of some of the work done in the field, plus the author's own views, which argue against Chomsky's Universal Grammar; instead positing a model of coevolution between humans and language: The unfolding of language stimulates and empowers the development of intellect, while language stands under selection pressure to be easily learnable.
Another unconventional premise is that language's primary role is not communication, but conception. Logan argues that thinking, which he defines as cogitating upon matters absent in the immediate physical environment, only began and is only possible with the advent of language. The basic notion seems to revolve around associatinoalism. For instance:
A concept in the form of a word links many precepts of an individual and, hence, extends the brain's capacity to remember.
This turns out to be a patient survey of some of the work done in the field, plus the author's own views, which argue against Chomsky's Universal Grammar; instead positing a model of coevolution between humans and language: The unfolding of language stimulates and empowers the development of intellect, while language stands under selection pressure to be easily learnable.
Another unconventional premise is that language's primary role is not communication, but conception. Logan argues that thinking, which he defines as cogitating upon matters absent in the immediate physical environment, only began and is only possible with the advent of language. The basic notion seems to revolve around associatinoalism. For instance:
A concept in the form of a word links many precepts of an individual and, hence, extends the brain's capacity to remember.
Displaying 1 of 1 review