How Homo Became Sapiens: On the Evolution of Thinking

How Homo Became Sapiens. On the Evolution of Thinking......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Info......Page 5
Preface......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
CHAPTER 1: Thinking from an evolutionary perspective......Page 12
1.1 The human family tree......Page 13
1.2 Enter Homo......Page 16
1.3 What is to be explained: the components of thought......Page 19
Sensations......Page 21
Emotions......Page 22
Thoughts and imagination......Page 23
Planing......Page 24
Language......Page 25
1.4 Four sources of empirical support......Page 27
1.5 Early stages in the evolution of thought......Page 29
1.6 Skinnerian beings......Page 31
Notes......Page 34
CHAPTER 2: Sensation, perception, and imagination......Page 36
2.1 Sensations: being aware of the world......Page 37
2.2 The art of aiming - why chimpanzees cannot throw darts......Page 38
2.3 Perceptions: seeing the world......Page 41
2.4 Categorical perception: sorting the world into boxes......Page 45
2.5 Object permanence: the world outside our sensations......Page 47
2.6 The art of chasing a mouse......Page 48
2.7 Going between the senses......Page 50
2.8 Causal reasoning: finding the invisible threads......Page 52
2.9 A room with a view......Page 57
2.10 Imagination: detaching the senses......Page 58
Notes......Page 65
3.1 Popperian beings......Page 66
3.2 Representations and the brain......Page 69
3.3 Pretence: playing in the inner world......Page 71
3.4 Directing thought: intentionality......Page 73
3.5 Imitation - why apes cannot ape......Page 76
3.6 Planning - why the squirrel does not plan for the winter......Page 80
3.7 Ockham\'s razor......Page 82
3.8 Thinking about tomorrow......Page 84
3.9 Making tools......Page 87
3.10 The human dilemma......Page 90
Notes......Page 92
4.1 Levels of theory of mind......Page 94
4.2 Understanding emotions......Page 95
4.3 Understanding attention......Page 97
4.4 Understanding intentions......Page 100
4.5 Understanding what others know......Page 104
4.6 Deception......Page 109
4.7 Machiavellian intelligence......Page 114
4.8 Autism: when there are gaps in the inner world......Page 117
Notes......Page 120
5.1 What is self-consciousness?......Page 122
5.2 Animals for themselves: why baboons do not wear lipstick......Page 125
5.3 Communication, attention, and consciousness......Page 131
5.4 It\'s not rude to point......Page 134
5.5 You and I......Page 136
5.6 The mirror of the soul......Page 139
5.7 Free will......Page 144
5.8 Consciousness and morality - why vervets are incapacitated......Page 146
Notes......Page 150
CHAPTER 6: The dawn of language......Page 152
6.1 Signals and symbols......Page 153
6.3 Linguistic communication and higher-order intentions......Page 157
6.4 Animals\' linguistic capacity......Page 159
6.5 Kanzi - at the brink of language......Page 161
6.6 How children learn language......Page 167
6.7 Miming as intentional communication......Page 169
6.8 Keeping time - why chimps do not play in the circus orchestra......Page 173
Notes......Page 176
7.1 Why just humans?......Page 178
7.2 Consciousness and language......Page 182
7.3 The gossip theory......Page 183
7.4 Sharing visions for the future - co-operation begets language......Page 187
7.5 Language as a social marker......Page 190
7.6 Motherese......Page 192
7.7 Protolanguage......Page 193
7.8 The role of grammar......Page 196
7.9 Myths and narratives......Page 200
7.10 Language in the brain......Page 202
7.11 Where are the meanings of words?......Page 205
Notes......Page 206
CHAPTER 8: Externalizing the inner world......Page 208
8.1 External memories......Page 209
8.2 The development of writing......Page 213
8.3 The influence of writing on thought......Page 215
8.4 Science: the world of theories......Page 218
8.5 Drifting thought - and the selfish meme......Page 221
8.6 Detached identity......Page 222
8.7 The open person......Page 224
Epilogue......Page 225
Notes......Page 226
References......Page 228
Index......Page 244