The Embodied Mind and the Origins of Human Culture

COGNITION AND CULTURE: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY DIALOGUE, pp. 13-27, Ana Margarida Abrantes, Peter Hanenberg, eds., Frankfurt & Berlin, 2011

19 Pages Posted: 25 Jun 2011

See all articles by Mark B. Turner

Mark B. Turner

Case Western Reserve University - Department of Cognitive Science

Date Written: June 23, 2011

Abstract

The notion of the transcendent disembodied mind has almost disappeared from contemporary cognitive science. But research on the embodied mind faces a central problem: presumably, all mammals have embodied minds, but only cognitively modern human beings have robust culture. An embodied mind is evidently insufficient: A community of embodied minds need not have robust culture. In fact, almost no communities of embodied minds have anything approaching robust culture. How then do we explain the origins and development of culture? Pointing to embodied minds does not point us to an answer. Nor can we look to other species for clues to the origin and nature of culture, given that there are no good animal models for human culture. This article explores an example of rapid cultural innovation during the last many decades, one that is now powerfully influential world-wide. It proposes an explanation for the origin of human culture.

Suggested Citation

Turner, Mark B., The Embodied Mind and the Origins of Human Culture (June 23, 2011). COGNITION AND CULTURE: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY DIALOGUE, pp. 13-27, Ana Margarida Abrantes, Peter Hanenberg, eds., Frankfurt & Berlin, 2011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1871283

Mark B. Turner (Contact Author)

Case Western Reserve University - Department of Cognitive Science ( email )

10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106-7068
United States

HOME PAGE: http://markturner.org

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