Paperback. How History Made the Mind, David Martel Johnson argues that what we now think of as "reason" or "objective thinking" is not a natural product of the existence of an enlarged brain or culmination of innate biological tendencies. Rather, it is a way of learning to use the brain that runs counter to the natural characteristics involved in being an animal, a mammal, and a primate. Johnson defends his theory of mind as a cultural artifact against objections, and uses it to question a number of currently fashionable positions in philosophy of mind, known theories of Julian Jaynes, which Johnson argues go too far in the direction of emphasizing the dissimilarities between ancient and modern ways of thinking. This work argues that what we now think of as "reason" or "objective thinking" is not a natural product of the existence of an enlarged brain. Rather, it is a way of learning to use the brain that runs counter to the natural characteristics involved in being an animal, a mammal and a primate. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

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Bibliographic Details

Title: How History Made the Mind (Paperback)
Publisher: Open Court Publishing Co ,U.S., Chicago, IL
Publication Date: 2004
Language: English
ISBN 10: 0812695364
ISBN 13: 9780812695366
Binding: Paperback
Condition: new

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Synopsis

How History Made the Mind, David Martel Johnson argues that what we now think of as "reason" or "objective thinking" is not a natural product of the existence of an enlarged brain or culmination of innate biological tendencies. Rather, it is a way of learning to use the brain that runs counter to the natural characteristics involved in being an animal, a mammal, and a primate. Johnson defends his theory of mind as a cultural artifact against objections, and uses it to question a number of currently fashionable positions in philosophy of mind, known theories of Julian Jaynes, which Johnson argues go too far in the direction of emphasizing the dissimilarities between ancient and modern ways of thinking.

Review

"I loved this book...a fascinating look at how humans spent centuries creating the biggest art project in the universe." -- National Post, Toronto, July 3, 2004

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