Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-262) and index.
Contents:
Introduction: Setting the Stage -- PART 1: The Background -- Cartesian Perspective on the Mind -- The Mind in Cognitive Science -- PART 2: The Proposal -- Language as Mirror of the Mind -- Redesigning Proto -- Merge and Linguistic Specificity -- No Merge for Animals -- Merge is (perhaps) All We Need -- Implications.
Summary:
Most living forms in nature display various cognitive abilities in their behaviour. However, except for humans, no other animal builds fires and wheels, navigates with maps and tells stories to other conspecifics. We can witness this unique feature of the human mind in almost everything humans do, such as painting, singing and cooking; there is an underlying sense of unity in the generative part of these systems despite wide differences in what they are about. This book introduces, defends and develops a novel philosophical approach to the study of the generative mind. Nirmalangshu Mukherji argues for a single, species-specific generative principle that accounts for the human ability to combine symbolic forms without bound in each domain that falls under the generative mind.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.