Artefacts, symbols, and the socio-cultural dynamics of niche construction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Niche Construction ◽  
Extended Mind ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Cultural Dynamics ◽  
Cognitive Artifacts ◽  
Semiotic System ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Evolution By Natural Selection

Niche construction theory is a relatively new approach in the biological and socio-cultural sciences that seeks to integrate an ecological dimension into the Darwinian theory of evolution by natural selection. Language itself can be considered as a biocultural niche and evolutionary artifact. An analysis of the cognitive and semiotic status of artifacts, based upon a distinction between the fundamental semiotic relations of “counting as” and “standing for,” reveals that language as a social and semiotic system is not only grounded in embodied engagements with the material and social-interactional world, but also grounds a sub-class of artifacts of particular significance in the cultural history of human cognition. Symbolic cognitive artifacts inherit their representational function from language. They materially and semiotically mediate human cognition, and are not merely informational repositories, but co-agentively constitutive of culturally and historically emergent cognitive domains. Examples of this constitutive role of symbolic cognitive artifacts are drawn from the author’s research with his colleagues on cultural and linguistic conceptualizations of time, and their cultural variability. The implications of conceptualizing cognition as the co-agentive intermeshing of intersubjective and interobjective processes, lead to a distinction between the notion of “extended embodiment” as labeled here and other “extended mind” approaches.

Conclusion

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian O'Connor
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
French Revolution ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The Political ◽  
Cultural Dynamics ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Institutions ◽  
Public Instruction ◽  
Historical Moment ◽  
The Revolution

The conclusion discusses how re-examining the ‘education question’ in Ancien Régime and Revolutionary France offers new insight to the cultural dynamics at work in the political upheavals of late-eighteenth century France. It argues that recognizing the practical nature of many of the debates over education – even into the radical period of the Revolution – helps us to situate revolutionary politics within its historical moment and to better understand how participatory and representative politics were pursued after 1789. The conclusion situates the pursuit of both public instruction and representative government within the broader legacy of the Revolution, a legacy that has shaped modern political culture in lasting and fundamental ways. It also argues that approaching the political and cultural history of revolutionary France through the interplay of ideas about education and practical efforts to establish new institutions (political and pedagogical alike) suggests new ways to think about the relationship between the Enlightenment and the French Revolution and about the legacy of the Revolution for the theory and practice of democratic politics ever since.

‘Hurrah for the missing link!’: a history of apes, ancestors and a crucial piece of evidence

2011 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter C. Kjærgaard
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Missing Link ◽  
Origin Of Species ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Evolution By Natural Selection

In the nineteenth century the idea of a ‘missing link’ connecting humans with the rest of the animal kingdom was eagerly embraced by professional scientists and popularizers. After the publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species in 1859, many tied the idea and subsequent search for a crucial piece of evidence to Darwin and his formulation of the theory of evolution by natural selection. This article demonstrates that the expression was widely used and that the framework for discussions about human's relation to the apes and gaps in the fossil record were well in place and widely debated long before Origin of Species became the standard reference for discussing human evolution. In the second half of the century the missing link gradually became the ultimate prize in palaeoanthropology and grew into one of the most powerful, celebrated and criticized icons of human evolution.

Considering the Role and Nature of the Scientist

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serap Öz Aydın
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Negative Thoughts ◽  
Science Approach ◽  
History Of ◽  
Evolution By Natural Selection ◽  
Scientific Framework

For many students, preconceived notions about Darwin are among the most significant obstacles in learning about the theory of evolution by natural selection. I present an activity designed to eliminate this obstacle and encourage empathizing with Darwin, utilizing the history-of-science approach. Through the activity, students’ negative thoughts about Darwin disappeared, Darwin’s position as a scientist came to the fore, students’ interest in evolution increased, and they started to discuss the theory within a scientific framework.

scholarly journals Revolutions in the head: Darwin, Malthus and Robert M. Young

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
James A. Secord
Keyword(s):  
Vietnam War ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Military Conflict ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Political Associations ◽  
Evolution By Natural Selection

Abstract The late 1960s witnessed a key conjunction between political activism and the history of science. Science, whether seen as a touchstone of rationality or of oppression, was fundamental to all sides in the era of the Vietnam War. This essay examines the historian Robert Maxwell Young's turn to Marxism and radical politics during this period, especially his widely cited account of the ‘common context’ of nineteenth-century biological and social theorizing, which demonstrated the centrality of Thomas Robert Malthus's writings on population for Charles Darwin's formulation of the theory of evolution by natural selection. From Young's perspective, this history was bound up with pressing contemporary issues: ideologies of class and race in neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory, the revival of Malthusian population control, and the role of science in military conflict. The aim was to provide a basis for political action – the ‘head revolution’ that would accompany radical social change. The radical force of Young's argument was blunted in subsequent decades by disciplinary developments within history of science, including the emergence of specialist Darwin studies, a focus on practice and the changing political associations of the history of ideas. Young's engaged standpoint, however, has remained influential even as historians moved from understanding science as ideology to science as work.

scholarly journals Cave Art and the Evolution of the Human Mind

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Martin Paul Gray
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Niche Construction ◽  
Extended Mind ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Cave Paintings ◽  
Hard Evidence ◽  
Cave Art

<p>The discovery of cave paintings made by our Upper Paleolithic ancestors in Western Europe was an astonishing find – so astonishing, that they were originally believed to have been fakes. However, as more sites were uncovered, their authenticity was confirmed. But how could these people, who at the time of the discovery were believed to be merely dumb brutes, create such beautiful and naturalistic representations? And an even more difficult question to answer was, why? In this thesis I examine the phenomenon of Paleolithic cave art and what it might be able to tell us about the minds of the Cro-Magnon artists who produced it. I survey the paintings that have so far been discovered, as well as the processes involved in creating them. I also discuss and critique a selection of the many theories that have attempted to explain the motivation behind this radically different type of human behaviour. But due to the lack of hard evidence, none of these theories are ever likely to be fully substantiated. So a more promising line of investigation I take is to appraise the cognitive abilities Cro-Magnons would have needed to produce the paintings – and this then allows me to consider whether cave art was indicating any new cognitive development. I therefore highlight one of the effects that creating cave paintings had: it allowed information from the brain to be stored in the environment. But the manner in which this form of epistemic engineering might enhance human cognition is a hotly debated subject. I examine two theories: the extended mind hypothesis, and the theory of niche construction. In concluding this thesis, I argue that cave art seems more like an example of epistemic niche construction than a constituent of an extended mind.</p>

The N.E. Monsoon and some Aspects of African History

1962 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-267
Author(s):  
William Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
African History ◽  
Cultural Dynamics ◽  
Cultural Patterns ◽  
Ocean Region ◽  
History Of ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Environmental Element

Of geographical necessity the external culture contacts of Africa have been mainly by sea, and consequently in order to explain the areal differentiations apparent in the cultural history of the continent it would seem necessary to supplement research on the landward traditions of African societies by investigations into the cultural patterns of sea regions embracing the oceanic faces of the continent. In the macro-regional structure of Africa it is possible to recognize entities such as Mediterranean Africa, Atlantic Africa, and Indian Ocean Africa, which possess distinctive personalities that cannot be entirely understood by landward reference but find their true provenance in the cultural dynamics of wider maritime theatres of action. Thus many of the keys to the cultural history and character of the eastern face of Africa must be sought not in Africa itself but in the changing patterns of the Indian Ocean region of which this African zone forms an integral part. As a student of the historical geography of the Indian Ocean, I am concerned here with but one environmental element in the structure of this region and its significance to some aspects of pre-colonial African history.

Creative Genius as Causal Agent in History: William James's 1880 Theory Revisited and Revitalized

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 406-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Keith Simonton
Keyword(s):  
William James ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Current Psychological Research ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Developmental Experiences ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Creative Genius ◽  
History Of ◽  
Evolution By Natural Selection ◽  
Current Psychological

Near the onset of his illustrious career, the psychologist William James proposed a theory of how individual genius can exert a unique and enduring causal impact on the history of civilization. After first attacking the prevailing view that sociocultural determinism rendered individual creators and leaders mere epiphenomena, James argued that the causal effect of the genius paralleled that of the spontaneous variation or mutation in the theory of evolution by natural selection. Although his specific arguments suffer severe problems even from the standpoint of his own theory, current psychological research on creativity and genius indicate how his basic thesis can be revised and updated with respect to creative genius. This revision and updating concentrates specifically on what is known about the behavioral productivity, thinking processes and procedures, personality characteristics, and early developmental experiences in highly creative individuals. These modern enhancements then lead to the integrated discussion of Jamesian free will and the causal agency of the creative genius. The net result is a revitalized theory of how it even becomes possible for single individuals to make creative choices that not only may cause changes in their own lives, but also alter the course of world history.

The Emergence of Humans and the Origin of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups from Vietnamese Myths

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-234
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Consanguineous Marriage ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Floods And Droughts ◽  
Origin Myths ◽  
Literature History ◽  
Evolution By Natural Selection ◽  
Epic Poems

The origin of humans has been at the center of attention throughout most of the history of humanity and remained debatable. Humankind is more interested in tracing back his ancestors than ever. The theory of evolution by natural selection, first formulated in Darwin’s book “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, shows that most species are descended from common ancestors. However, most countries and ethnic groups have their own explanation and interpretation of the origin of humans from the dawn of the civilization in their myths. Particularly, many myths and legends about the beginnings of humans have cropped up and varied across religions, races, ethnics, nations and reflect their daily and spiritual life as well as their beliefs. This paper is devoted to exploring 24 Vietnamese myths concerning the emergence of humans and Vietnamese ethnic groups from the earliest time within a motif-based approach. The study reveals that most collected Vietnamese myths of human emergence are utterly imaginative, artistic and creative with a wide variety of motifs. They bear, however, some similarities in the plot and motif such as: (i) creation of Vietnamese people from eggs, gourds and clay; (ii) natural disasters like floods and droughts and (iii) consanguineous marriage and animal marriage. Last but not least, mythical narration and epic poems play a crucial role in Vietnamese literature, history, religions, beliefs and culture. The author does not aim at comparing origin myths of Vietnam and other countries in this paper but generally introduce the reader to these myths. Received 18th September 2019; Revised 19th February 2020; Accepted 20th March 2020

scholarly journals Cave Art and the Evolution of the Human Mind

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Martin Paul Gray
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Niche Construction ◽  
Extended Mind ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Cave Paintings ◽  
Hard Evidence ◽  
Cave Art

<p>The discovery of cave paintings made by our Upper Paleolithic ancestors in Western Europe was an astonishing find – so astonishing, that they were originally believed to have been fakes. However, as more sites were uncovered, their authenticity was confirmed. But how could these people, who at the time of the discovery were believed to be merely dumb brutes, create such beautiful and naturalistic representations? And an even more difficult question to answer was, why? In this thesis I examine the phenomenon of Paleolithic cave art and what it might be able to tell us about the minds of the Cro-Magnon artists who produced it. I survey the paintings that have so far been discovered, as well as the processes involved in creating them. I also discuss and critique a selection of the many theories that have attempted to explain the motivation behind this radically different type of human behaviour. But due to the lack of hard evidence, none of these theories are ever likely to be fully substantiated. So a more promising line of investigation I take is to appraise the cognitive abilities Cro-Magnons would have needed to produce the paintings – and this then allows me to consider whether cave art was indicating any new cognitive development. I therefore highlight one of the effects that creating cave paintings had: it allowed information from the brain to be stored in the environment. But the manner in which this form of epistemic engineering might enhance human cognition is a hotly debated subject. I examine two theories: the extended mind hypothesis, and the theory of niche construction. In concluding this thesis, I argue that cave art seems more like an example of epistemic niche construction than a constituent of an extended mind.</p>

Racial History and bio-cultural adaptation of Nubian archaeological populations

1973 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis P. Van Gerven ◽  
David S. Carlson ◽  
George J. Armelagos
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Cultural Dynamics ◽  
Skeletal Morphology ◽  
Evolution And Development ◽  
Culture History ◽  
Racial History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Physical Anthropologist ◽  
Biological Relationships

A principal role of the physical anthropologist has been the analysis of the human skeleton. Such analysis has traditionally utilized similarities in skeletal morphology and, in some instances, hypothetical racial affinities, to establish the biological relationships between populations. Established biological relationships are then assumed to reflect cultural affinities. As a result of this approach to the skeletal remains of Nubian populations, the culture history of Nubia has been explained in terms of type, hybridization, and atavism, rather than the more biologically and culturally meaningful units of variation, evolution and development. Our analysis of skeletal remains associated with Meroitic, X-Group and Christian cultural horizons in Sudanese Nubia has emphasized a bio-cultural approach to detectable patterns of mortality, skeletal growth and pathology. Rather than seeking to reconstruct cultural history from such biological evidence, this approach utilizes independently established evidence of culural adaptation as the principal environmental context within which these biological processes occur. From this conceptual framework, it becomes possible to gain new insight into the biological and cultural dynamics of variation, evolution and development within the Nubian corridor.

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