Overview
- Explores the role of language, teaching, and civil discourse in human evolution
- Draws on recent findings in a range of disciplines including archaeology, cultural anthropology, and evolutionary biology
- Tells the story of how an ordinary, small-brained African ape evolved into the modern-day human
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Table of contents (12 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book traces the evolutionary trajectory of language and teaching from the earliest periods of human evolution to the present day. The author argues that teaching is unique to humans and our ancestors, and that the evolution of teaching, language, and culture are the inextricably linked results of gene-culture coevolutionary processes. Drawing on related fields including archaeology, palaeontology, cultural anthropology, evolutionary psychology and linguistics, he makes the case that the need for joint attention and shared goals in complex adaptive strategies is the underlying driver for the evolution of language-like communication. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of these disciplines, as well as lay readers with an interest in human origins.
Reviews
“The story of how we humans came to be the way we are has been told many times, and new discoveries continue to prompt retellings. Seldom has the story been told with such verve. Donald Morrison explores the diverse evolutionary challenges, and the biocultural responses, that went to make our species. His message is that language, and teaching through language, is the linchpin that has come to hold the interlocking solutions together. He concludes by addressing the existential predicaments now facing us—the climate crisis, global inequality and the crisis of civil discourse—and challenges us to re-think how education and language can help us find a way through." --Chris Sinha, Hunan University, China
"Morrison has contributed a fascinating and highly readable analysis of the coevolution of language, thought, and culture throughout the development of our species. Other researchers have examined aspects of this coevolution, but none have looked in such depth at the role of teaching in supporting the growth of language and culture. Morrison's new analysis is important not only for the light it casts on co-evolution, but also for the implications it has for our understanding of the roots of education in human nature and society." --Brian MacWhinney, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
“The role of teaching in the evolution of Homo sapiens has long been underestimated. Donald Morrison’s well-written book shows how important pedagogy is for our species.”
--Peter Gärdenfors, University of Lund, Sweden
"Novel and revolutionary, this book persuasively describes how language and teaching evolved together to provide humans with the ability to learn how to govern themselves and even fly to the moon." --Allan Collins, Northwestern University, USA
"A not to be missed read for everyone interested in human origins. Morrison has convinced me of the key role of teaching in propelling our species to develop language." --Stan Franklin, University of Memphis, USA
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Donald M. Morrison, a lifelong educator, is a Research Assistant Professor at the Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis, USA.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Coevolution of Language, Teaching, and Civil Discourse Among Humans
Book Subtitle: Our Family Business
Authors: Donald M. Morrison
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48543-6
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Education, Education (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-48542-9Published: 26 July 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-48545-0Published: 27 July 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-48543-6Published: 25 July 2020
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXI, 360
Number of Illustrations: 6 b/w illustrations, 4 illustrations in colour
Topics: Education, general, Language Acquisition and Development, Evolutionary Biology, Cognitive Psychology, Pragmatics, Developmental Psychology