Items related to Dialogues on the Human Ape (Posthumanities)

Dialogues on the Human Ape (Posthumanities) - Softcover

Book 43 of 68: Posthumanities

Dubreuil, Laurent; Savage-Rumbaugh, Sue

 
9781517905651: Dialogues on the Human Ape (Posthumanities)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 1517905656 ISBN 13: 9781517905651
Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2018

Synopsis

A primatologist and a humanist together explore the meaning of being a “human animal”

Humanness is typically defined by our capacity for language and abstract thinking. Yet decades of research led by the primatologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh has shown that chimpanzees and bonobos can acquire human language through signing and technology. 

Drawing on this research, Dialogues of the Human Ape brings Savage-Rumbaugh into conversation with the philosopher Laurent Dubreuil to explore the theoretical and practical dimensions of what being a “human animal” means. In their use of dialogue as the primary mode of philosophical and scientific inquiry, the authors transcend the rigidity of scientific and humanist discourses, offering a powerful model for the dissemination of speculative hypotheses and open-ended debates grounded in scientific research.

Arguing that being human is an epigenetically driven process rather than a fixed characteristic rooted in genetics or culture, this book suggests that while humanness may not be possible in every species, it can emerge in certain supposedly nonhuman species. Moving beyond irrational critiques of ape consciousness that are motivated by arrogant, anthropocentric views, Dialogues on the Human Ape instead takes seriously the continuities between the ape mind and the human mind, addressing why language matters to consciousness, free will, and the formation of the “human animal” self.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Laurent Dubreuil is professor of comparative literature, Romance studies, and cognitive science at Cornell University. His many books include The Intellective Space (Minnesota, 2015).

Sue Savage-Rumbaugh was senior scientist at the Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary and is co-chair president of the Bonobo Hope initiative.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Univ Of Minnesota Press
Publication date
2018
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1517905656
ISBN 13 
9781517905651
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
248