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pp. 216, ‘out of the millions of species that have emerged and gone extinct, human beings alone took the last, abrupt journey to high intelligence and advanced culture. Lumsden and Wilson attribute the sudden emergence of the human mind to the activation of a mechanism both obedient to physical law and unique to man. This “Promethean fire” is geneculture coevolution, a mutually acting change in the genes and culture that carried man beyond the pervious limits of biologyyet restrains his nature on an elastic, unbreakable leash. The authors’ argument builds impressively from across the entire range of biological and social sciences, but their presentation is essentially lyrical. They share with the reader their reconstructionboth stunning line drawings and colorful vignettesof how the primitive mind may have functioned in exercising cultural choice with genetic bias. Step by step, they guide us through the diverse categories of evidence, including recent studies of incest avoidance, color vocabulary, infant gaze patterns, taste discriminations, and phobias, which led them toward the theory of cultural transmission based on the importance of genetic filters in individual mental development. “
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| ISBN | 0674714466 | |
|---|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9780674714465 | |
| Number of pages | 216 | |
| Original Title | Promethean Fire : Reflections on the Origin of Mind | |
| Published Date | 1983 | |
| Book Condition | Very Good | |
| Jacket Condition | no dustjacket | |
| Binding | paperback | |
| Size | 8vo | |
| Place of Publication | Cambridge | |
| Edition | First Edition | |
| Category: | Philosophy | |
| Authors: | Charles J. Lumsden, Edward O. Wilson | |
| Publisher: | Harvard University Press |
pp. 216, ‘out of the millions of species that have emerged and gone extinct, human beings alone took the last, abrupt journey to high intelligence and advanced culture. Lumsden and Wilson attribute the sudden emergence of the human mind to the activation of a mechanism both obedient to physical law and unique to man. This “Promethean fire” is geneculture coevolution, a mutually acting change in the genes and culture that carried man beyond the pervious limits of biologyyet restrains his nature on an elastic, unbreakable leash. The authors’ argument builds impressively from across the entire range of biological and social sciences, but their presentation is essentially lyrical. They share with the reader their reconstructionboth stunning line drawings and colorful vignettesof how the primitive mind may have functioned in exercising cultural choice with genetic bias. Step by step, they guide us through the diverse categories of evidence, including recent studies of incest avoidance, color vocabulary, infant gaze patterns, taste discriminations, and phobias, which led them toward the theory of cultural transmission based on the importance of genetic filters in individual mental development. “
