Cognitive Adaptation: A Pragmatist Perspective

Cognitive Adaptation: A Pragmatist Perspective argues that there is a fundamental link between cognitive/neural systems and evolution that underlies human activity. One important result is that the line between nature and culture and scientific and humanistic inquiry is quite permeable - the two are fairly continuous with each other. Two concepts figure importantly in our human ascent: agency and animacy. The first is the recognition of another person as having beliefs, desires, and a sense of experience. The second term is the recognition of an object as alive, a piece of biology. Both reflect a predilection in our cognitive architecture that is fundamental to an evolving, but fragile, sense of humanity. The book further argues for a regulative norm of self-corrective inquiry, an appreciation of the hypothetical nature of all knowledge. Schulkin's perspective is rooted in contemporary behavioral and cognitive neuroscience.

• • Author: Jay Schulkin
• • Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• • Publication Date: Nov 06, 2014
• • Number of Pages: 210 pages
• • Language: English
• • Binding: Paperback
• • ISBN-10: 1107462711
• • ISBN-13: 9781107462717