The Lopsided Ape
Evolution of the Generative Mind
Seiten
1994
Oxford University Press Inc (Verlag)
978-0-19-508352-1 (ISBN)
Oxford University Press Inc (Verlag)
978-0-19-508352-1 (ISBN)
A detailed account of human language and evolution, reconciling the apparent dichotomy between humans and all other animals. Focuses on the speculative presence of a Generative Assembly Device (GAD), unique to Homo sapiens.
This fascinating book addresses the question of what makes humans unique, of how sharply we differ from other animals. It begins with evidence on the split of the hominids from the apes, and on the main steps in hominid evolution since then. Its main theme is that the distinctive versatility of human thought and mental representation depends on special properties of the left side of the brain. One manifestation of this lop-sidedness is the predominance of right-handedness in human populations, a tract that does not seem to exist in animals. Another is the special properties of human language, which is represented in the left cerebral hemisphere.
At a deeper level, Corballis argues that the human left hemisphere has evolved a specialization for an open-ended, generative form of mental representation. This underlies language and also the way in which we construct, represent, and understand objects. It probably colours many other specifically human activities, such as complementary mode of thought that has more holistic, analogue properties, and that goes back much further in evolution.
This fascinating book addresses the question of what makes humans unique, of how sharply we differ from other animals. It begins with evidence on the split of the hominids from the apes, and on the main steps in hominid evolution since then. Its main theme is that the distinctive versatility of human thought and mental representation depends on special properties of the left side of the brain. One manifestation of this lop-sidedness is the predominance of right-handedness in human populations, a tract that does not seem to exist in animals. Another is the special properties of human language, which is represented in the left cerebral hemisphere.
At a deeper level, Corballis argues that the human left hemisphere has evolved a specialization for an open-ended, generative form of mental representation. This underlies language and also the way in which we construct, represent, and understand objects. It probably colours many other specifically human activities, such as complementary mode of thought that has more holistic, analogue properties, and that goes back much further in evolution.
Michael Corballis is Professor of Psychology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and is the author Human Laterality and other books.
Are humans unique?; Human evolution; The human condition; Human handedness; Human language; The evolution of language; Language and the brain; Praxis and the left brain; The magic carpet; The duality of the brain; The plastic brain; Conclusions.
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 13.10.1994 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | halftone and line illustrations |
| Verlagsort | New York |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 235 x 157 mm |
| Gewicht | 544 g |
| Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Allgemeine Psychologie |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Biopsychologie / Neurowissenschaften | |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Verhaltenstherapie | |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Sprachwissenschaft | |
| Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Humanbiologie | |
| Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Zoologie | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-19-508352-0 / 0195083520 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-19-508352-1 / 9780195083521 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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Buch | Softcover (2025)
Beltz (Verlag)
CHF 39,20
