Part. 1. The Biosemiotic Connection -- Beyond the Symbolic Species / Terrence W. Deacon -- The Evolution of Semiotic Self-Control / Sign Evolution as the Ongoing Refinement of the Basic Argument Structure of Biological Metabolism / Frederik Stjernfelt -- Peirce and Deacon on the Meaning and Evolution of Language / Ahti-Veikko J. Pietarinen -- Semiosis Beyond Signs. On Two or Three Missing Links on the Way to Human Beings / Göran Sonesson -- Introduction -- Searching the Missing Links / Frederik Stjernfelt, Theresa Schilhab and Terrence W. Deacon -- Part 2. The Prehistoric and Comparative Connection -- The Natural History of Intentionality. A Biosemiotic Approach / Jesper Hoffmeyer -- The Evolution of Learning to Communicate: Avian Model for the Missing Link / Irene M. Pepperberg -- From Parsing Actions to Understanding Intentions / Richard W. Byrne -- Hominid Diversity and 'Ancestor' Myths / Homo, H. sapiens, and Other Taxa from a Phylocladistic Viewpoint / Niels Bonde -- The Tripod Effect: Co-evolution of Cooperation, Cognition and Communication / Peter Gärdenfors, Ingar Brinck and Mathias Osvath -- Part 3. The Cognitive and Anthropological Connection -- Language as a Repository of Tacit Knowledge / Harry Collins -- Levels of Immersion and Embodiment / On the Relation Between Different Types of Practice and the Acquisition of Language / Theresa Schilhab -- Emerging Symbols / Stefan Leijnen -- Gender in Innovative Techno Fantasies / Cathrine Hasse
Summary
Scientific considerations about the origin of humanity might not be entirely new. However, the articles in this volume present a spectrum/variety of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives which no doubt calls attention and dares to present the span of the problem. The reader is inspired to continuously push and re-think ways of thinking about the themes, instead of fixing and unequivocalizing and is forced to acknowledge a diversity of angles and the need of merging different approaches to achieve further insights on the central theme. The volume succinctly distils frontline research within different subfields by compiling contributions from widely acknowledged academics
