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by: Terrence W. Deacon Introduction Since Darwin’s time, the human language capacity has been a perennially cited paragon of extreme complexity that defies the explanatory powers of natural selection. And it is not just critics of Darwinism who have argued that this most distinctive human capacity is problematic. Alfred Russel Wallace—the co-discoverer of natural selection theory and Continue reading On the Human: Rethinking the natural selection of human language by: Suzanne Preston Blier Egbé eja leja ?wè tò, egbé eye leye ?wò lé We mention nature and forget ourselves in it. So engrained is the trope of the animal in the West that animal truisms are seared into Continue reading Animalia: the Natural World, Art, and Theory by Stuart A. Marks “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” To understand portions of one’s own culture demands a lifetime; to become familiar with another’s depends upon a host of enthusiastic interpreters, attentive listening, experiencing a multitude of unfamiliar activities, a receptive heart, and good fortune. Throughout my Continue reading Wild Animals and a Different Human Face by Sir Patrick Bateson The use of hounds in hunting excites great passions. Hunting deer is particularly hated by those who are opposed to it and ardently loved by those who support it. If you wept as a child at the death of Bambi’s mother, you know what it is like to be hunted. Continue reading Hunting and Science by Dan Batson We humans spend a remarkable amount of time, money, and energy to benefit others, including family, friends, and strangers. Why do we do it? Do we ever care about others for their sakes and not simply for our own? Is our ultimate goal always and exclusively self-benefit, or are we capable of caring Continue reading Empathic Concern and Altruism in Humans by Raymond Tallis Does evolution explain our behaviour? The short answer is: No. And you may well concur with that answer but ‘out there’ there is an increasing constituency of thinkers claiming quite otherwise. Along with the claims that the brain explains the mind and activity in one bit of brain or another corresponds Continue reading Does Evolution Explain Our Behaviour? by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy I am an anthropologist and primate sociobiologist who seeks to understand, step by Darwinian step, how apes could have evolved to imagine and care about what the lives of others might be like. I believe that such questing for inter-subjective engagement laid the foundations for significant later developments such as language and Continue reading How Humans Became Such Other-Regarding Apes Santino, a 31-year-old male at Furuvik zoo in Sweden, may be the first animal to exhibit an unambiguous ability to plan for the future. UPDATE: The BBC also has the story, which includes an audio interview with researcher Mathias Osvath. Apparently imitating human handlers, an orangutan spontaneously begins whistling. Read more. |
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