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| viriditas [2008-05-27 16:57] – 81.188.78.24 | viriditas [2008-05-27 18:36] – 81.188.78.24 |
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| We must, however, make a distinction here between this type of ecological knowledge and the use of anthropomorphism..... Indeed,Kennedy (1992) argues that human beings in general are prone to a compulsive anthropomorphizing, and with modern hunter-gatherers the social and natural worlds appear to have no boundaries. I have argued that this ‘cognitive fluidity’ has arisen in relatively recent times and is a consequence of the evolution of compositional language (Mithen 1996:2005).Consequently for pre-modern hominins I would expect a natural history and a social intelligence that are effectively isolated from each other: the natural and social worlds were two distinct entities.....The key archaeological evidence to support the proposition ofa discrete natural history intelligence (or intuitive biology) evolving relatively early in human evolution is the extraordinary diversity of environments and hence foraging strategies that were adopted by hominins.......But what is even more striking is the ease with which this knowledge is | We must, however, make a distinction here between this type of ecological knowledge and the use of anthropomorphism..... Indeed, Kennedy (1992) argues that human beings in general are prone to a compulsive anthropomorphizing, and with modern hunter-gatherers the social and natural worlds appear to have no boundaries. I have argued that this ‘cognitive fluidity’ has arisen in relatively recent times and is a consequence of the evolution of compositional language (Mithen 1996:2005). Consequently for pre-modern hominins I would expect a natural history and a social intelligence that are effectively isolated from each other: the natural and social worlds were two distinct entities.....The key archaeological evidence to support the proposition of a discrete natural history intelligence (or intuitive biology) evolving relatively early in human evolution is the extraordinary diversity of environments and hence foraging strategies that were adopted by hominins.......But what is even more striking is the ease with which this knowledge is |
| acquired and culturally transmitted – human minds appear to be pre-tuned for acquiring and processing information about animals and plants such that virtually no active teaching is required (Atran 1990:1994). Formal training appears to be generally rare among hunter-gatherer societies. | acquired and culturally transmitted – human minds appear to be pre-tuned for acquiring and processing information about animals and plants such that virtually no active teaching is required (Atran 1990:1994). Formal training appears to be generally rare among hunter-gatherer societies. |
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| He concludes: | He concludes: |
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| For almost the whole of the six million years of human evolution since the common ancestor, hominins have perceived,classified,interpreted,and made decisions about the natural world in a pre-linguistic mode.Some of those hominins may have had sophisticated communications system of the type I have characterized as Hmmmmm, which made extensive use of onomatopoeia, mimicry, and sound synaesthesia. | For almost the whole of the six million years of human evolution since the common ancestor, hominins have perceived, classified, interpreted, and made decisions about the natural world in a pre-linguistic mode. Some of those hominins may have had sophisticated communications system of the type I have characterized as Hmmmmm, which made extensive use of onomatopoeia, mimicry, and sound synaesthesia. |
| </blockquote> | </blockquote> |
maja