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The symbolic species : the co-evolution of language and the brain / Terrence W. Deacon.

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: New York : W.W. Norton & Company, c 1997 Edition: First editionDescription: 527 pages : illustrations ; 25 cmISBN:
  • 0393038386
  • 9780393038385
  • 0393317544
  • 9780393317541
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • ARCH YNDC 153.6 D278S  20
LOC classification:
  • QP399 .D43 1997
NLM classification:
  • 1997 J-133
  • WL 300
Contents:
pt. 1. Language. The human paradox ; A loss for words ; Symbols aren't simple ; Outside the brain -- pt. 2. Brain. The size of intelligence ; Growing apart ; A Darwinian electrician ; The talking brain ; Symbol minds ; Locating language -- pt. 3. Co-evolution. And the word became flesh ; Symbolic origins ; A serendipitous mind ; Such stuff as dreams are made on.
Summary: This revolutionary book offers fresh answers to longstanding questions of human origins and consciousness. In contrast to much contemporary neuroscience that treats the brain as no more or less than a computer, Deacon leads us on a carefully grounded neurobiological expedition into a view of mind that does not reduce to soulless, clockwork mechanism, but is instead an emergent feature of a universe that is "nascent heart and mind." His book not only provides a new clarity of vision into the mechanism of mind. It injects a renewed sense of adventure into the experience of being human.
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Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode
Archives Archives SAIACS Archives Room Yandell Collection ARCH YNDC 153.6 D278S (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Not for loan 064398

Includes bibliographical references (pages 465-510) and index.

pt. 1. Language. The human paradox ; A loss for words ; Symbols aren't simple ; Outside the brain -- pt. 2. Brain. The size of intelligence ; Growing apart ; A Darwinian electrician ; The talking brain ; Symbol minds ; Locating language -- pt. 3. Co-evolution. And the word became flesh ; Symbolic origins ; A serendipitous mind ; Such stuff as dreams are made on.

This revolutionary book offers fresh answers to longstanding questions of human origins and consciousness. In contrast to much contemporary neuroscience that treats the brain as no more or less than a computer, Deacon leads us on a carefully grounded neurobiological expedition into a view of mind that does not reduce to soulless, clockwork mechanism, but is instead an emergent feature of a universe that is "nascent heart and mind." His book not only provides a new clarity of vision into the mechanism of mind. It injects a renewed sense of adventure into the experience of being human.

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