U C Berkeley Professor. Biological anthropology and cognitive neuroscienceAlso broadly interested in the philosophy of information and semiotic processes.
This revolutionary book provides fresh answers to long-standing questions of human origins and co... more This revolutionary book provides fresh answers to long-standing questions of human origins and consciousness. Drawing on his breakthrough research in comparative neuroscience, Terrence Deacon offers a wealth of insights into the significance of symbolic thinking: from the co-evolutionary exchange between language and brains over two million years of hominid evolution to the ethical repercussions that followed man's newfound access to other people's thoughts and emotions. Informing these insights is a new understanding of how Darwinian processes underlie the brain's development and function as well as its evolution. In contrast to much contemporary neuroscience that treats the brain as no more or less than a computer, Deacon provides a new clarity of vision into the mechanism of mind. It injects a renewed sense of adventure into the experience of being human.
Page 106. CHAPTER Beyond Piaget's Phenocopy: The Baby in the Lamarckian Bath Terrence W.... more Page 106. CHAPTER Beyond Piaget's Phenocopy: The Baby in the Lamarckian Bath Terrence W. Deacon University of California, Berkeley I think that all structures are constructed and that the fundamental fea-ture is the course ...
Towards a general theory of evolution argues that defining natural selection in terms of “blind v... more Towards a general theory of evolution argues that defining natural selection in terms of “blind variation and selective retention”— as in A-life and replicator selection—ignores the fact that what varies is necessarily part of a far-from-equilibrium physical system that requires physical work to be produced. But natural selection theory is agnostic about the physical-chemical mechanisms underlying the maintenance, repair, and reproduction of organism structures and functions. A more general theory of evolution is proposed that includes an account of a type of process able to reconstitute the organization of the physical system capable of producing that process if damaged.
We agree with Brette's assessment that the coding metaphor has become more problematic than h... more We agree with Brette's assessment that the coding metaphor has become more problematic than helpful for theories of brain and cognitive functioning. In an effort to aid in constructing an alternative, we argue that joining the insights from the dynamical systems approach with the semiotic framework of C. S. Peirce can provide a fruitful perspective.
The relation of symbolic cognition to embodied and situated bodily dynamics remains one of the ha... more The relation of symbolic cognition to embodied and situated bodily dynamics remains one of the hardest problems in the contemporary cognitive sciences. In this paper we show that one of the possible factors contributing to this difficulty is the way the problem is posed. Basing on the theoretical frameworks of cognitive semiotics, ecological psychology and dynamical systems we point to an alternative way of formulating the problem and show how it suggests possible novel solutions. We illustrate the usefulness of this theoretical change in the domain of language development and draw conclusions for computational models of the emergence of symbols in natural cognition and communication as well as in artificial systems.
Abstract: The problem of evolutionary emergence is particularly well exemplified in theories of t... more Abstract: The problem of evolutionary emergence is particularly well exemplified in theories of the origins of life and of language. To adequately address these evolutionary problems requires not only deploying the full resources of biological science but also developing a general ...
The investigation of the neural basis and evolution of language abilities is best pursued as a se... more The investigation of the neural basis and evolution of language abilities is best pursued as a search for language adaptations rather than as a search for the language faculty. The species uniqueness of language functions is contrasted with the conserved homologies linking human brain structures to anthropoid primate brain structures, and the failure to find species-specific neuroanatomical or genetic correlates of linguistically defined innate features of language (e.g., universal grammar). Comparisons to animal call systems demonstrate minimal anatomical overlap with language systems besides final output nuclei though molos control parallels, the anatomical substrates of gestural behavior, suggesting that language evolution did not proceed by progressive elaboration from nonhuman vocal communication. Although there are no unambiguus gross neuroanatomical dishomologies distinguishing human brains that would suggest a role in language processing, there are clear allometric deviations of quantitative traits, including both gross brain size and deviant scaling of internal structural relationships in human brains, that suggest plausible roles in language processing. Evidence of correlated changes in patterns of axonal connections also implicate the extensive allometric deviations of human brains with language adaptations. One of the most likely correlates of allometrically related connection change related to language evolution involves the existence of direct cortical projections to the nucleus ambiguous (the laryngeal control nucleus of the brainstem), which are likely absent in other mammals. This enables humans to have articulate control over the visceromotor lung and larynx control systems and to couple this with articulate control of the skeletal motor tongue, facial, and jaw muscles. Tracer studies and physiological recording studies of the macaque monkey ventral premotor and prefrontal cortex provide evidence of extensive homology of connectivity, suggesting that the circuits associated with these cortical areas were recruited for language processing during human evolution. Also, cells in adjacent macaque premotor cortex differentially fire with respect to self-initiated and other-initiated grasping behaviors. This suggests that the human homologue to this or nearby areas might be relevant to the mimicry necessary to acquire language. Genetic studies of human language adaptations have identified a gene, FOXP2, that is damaged in an inherited language deficit that affects automatizion of speech and syntactic processes. It turns out to be a highly conserved gene regulating forebrain basal ganglia development in embryogenesis. The human version of the gene contains two unique point mutations, neither of which is implicated in the language disorder. The functional differences produced by these changes are not known, but appear to have spread quickly in the early human population. The homologues to this gene in other species also play roles in vocal behavior. This genetic change is probably only one of a great many that contribute to the adaptation for language. These sources of comparative functional and anatomical information argue against saltationist scenarios that hypothesize a sudden recent appearance of language abilities, and instead suggest that many diverse adaptations converged to make language possible.
This revolutionary book provides fresh answers to long-standing questions of human origins and co... more This revolutionary book provides fresh answers to long-standing questions of human origins and consciousness. Drawing on his breakthrough research in comparative neuroscience, Terrence Deacon offers a wealth of insights into the significance of symbolic thinking: from the co-evolutionary exchange between language and brains over two million years of hominid evolution to the ethical repercussions that followed man's newfound access to other people's thoughts and emotions. Informing these insights is a new understanding of how Darwinian processes underlie the brain's development and function as well as its evolution. In contrast to much contemporary neuroscience that treats the brain as no more or less than a computer, Deacon provides a new clarity of vision into the mechanism of mind. It injects a renewed sense of adventure into the experience of being human.
Page 106. CHAPTER Beyond Piaget's Phenocopy: The Baby in the Lamarckian Bath Terrence W.... more Page 106. CHAPTER Beyond Piaget's Phenocopy: The Baby in the Lamarckian Bath Terrence W. Deacon University of California, Berkeley I think that all structures are constructed and that the fundamental fea-ture is the course ...
Towards a general theory of evolution argues that defining natural selection in terms of “blind v... more Towards a general theory of evolution argues that defining natural selection in terms of “blind variation and selective retention”— as in A-life and replicator selection—ignores the fact that what varies is necessarily part of a far-from-equilibrium physical system that requires physical work to be produced. But natural selection theory is agnostic about the physical-chemical mechanisms underlying the maintenance, repair, and reproduction of organism structures and functions. A more general theory of evolution is proposed that includes an account of a type of process able to reconstitute the organization of the physical system capable of producing that process if damaged.
We agree with Brette's assessment that the coding metaphor has become more problematic than h... more We agree with Brette's assessment that the coding metaphor has become more problematic than helpful for theories of brain and cognitive functioning. In an effort to aid in constructing an alternative, we argue that joining the insights from the dynamical systems approach with the semiotic framework of C. S. Peirce can provide a fruitful perspective.
The relation of symbolic cognition to embodied and situated bodily dynamics remains one of the ha... more The relation of symbolic cognition to embodied and situated bodily dynamics remains one of the hardest problems in the contemporary cognitive sciences. In this paper we show that one of the possible factors contributing to this difficulty is the way the problem is posed. Basing on the theoretical frameworks of cognitive semiotics, ecological psychology and dynamical systems we point to an alternative way of formulating the problem and show how it suggests possible novel solutions. We illustrate the usefulness of this theoretical change in the domain of language development and draw conclusions for computational models of the emergence of symbols in natural cognition and communication as well as in artificial systems.
Abstract: The problem of evolutionary emergence is particularly well exemplified in theories of t... more Abstract: The problem of evolutionary emergence is particularly well exemplified in theories of the origins of life and of language. To adequately address these evolutionary problems requires not only deploying the full resources of biological science but also developing a general ...
The investigation of the neural basis and evolution of language abilities is best pursued as a se... more The investigation of the neural basis and evolution of language abilities is best pursued as a search for language adaptations rather than as a search for the language faculty. The species uniqueness of language functions is contrasted with the conserved homologies linking human brain structures to anthropoid primate brain structures, and the failure to find species-specific neuroanatomical or genetic correlates of linguistically defined innate features of language (e.g., universal grammar). Comparisons to animal call systems demonstrate minimal anatomical overlap with language systems besides final output nuclei though molos control parallels, the anatomical substrates of gestural behavior, suggesting that language evolution did not proceed by progressive elaboration from nonhuman vocal communication. Although there are no unambiguus gross neuroanatomical dishomologies distinguishing human brains that would suggest a role in language processing, there are clear allometric deviations of quantitative traits, including both gross brain size and deviant scaling of internal structural relationships in human brains, that suggest plausible roles in language processing. Evidence of correlated changes in patterns of axonal connections also implicate the extensive allometric deviations of human brains with language adaptations. One of the most likely correlates of allometrically related connection change related to language evolution involves the existence of direct cortical projections to the nucleus ambiguous (the laryngeal control nucleus of the brainstem), which are likely absent in other mammals. This enables humans to have articulate control over the visceromotor lung and larynx control systems and to couple this with articulate control of the skeletal motor tongue, facial, and jaw muscles. Tracer studies and physiological recording studies of the macaque monkey ventral premotor and prefrontal cortex provide evidence of extensive homology of connectivity, suggesting that the circuits associated with these cortical areas were recruited for language processing during human evolution. Also, cells in adjacent macaque premotor cortex differentially fire with respect to self-initiated and other-initiated grasping behaviors. This suggests that the human homologue to this or nearby areas might be relevant to the mimicry necessary to acquire language. Genetic studies of human language adaptations have identified a gene, FOXP2, that is damaged in an inherited language deficit that affects automatizion of speech and syntactic processes. It turns out to be a highly conserved gene regulating forebrain basal ganglia development in embryogenesis. The human version of the gene contains two unique point mutations, neither of which is implicated in the language disorder. The functional differences produced by these changes are not known, but appear to have spread quickly in the early human population. The homologues to this gene in other species also play roles in vocal behavior. This genetic change is probably only one of a great many that contribute to the adaptation for language. These sources of comparative functional and anatomical information argue against saltationist scenarios that hypothesize a sudden recent appearance of language abilities, and instead suggest that many diverse adaptations converged to make language possible.
The collection of essays dedicated to the 60th birthday of Kalevi Kull, Professor of Biosemiotics... more The collection of essays dedicated to the 60th birthday of Kalevi Kull, Professor of Biosemiotics at the University of Tartu, comprises twenty innovative articles in biosemiotics and nearby fields. Contributions have grown out of authors’ unpublished research materials, unconventional approaches or sketches of articles. The list of authors includes internationally renowned biosemioticians, Kalevi Kull’s co-thinkers and students. Among topics shared by many articles are attention to the borders of biosemiotics while pointing to the connectedness of the subject matter of biosemiotics and the human cultural sphere, emphasis on the dialogic nature of academic theories as well as human lives, and focus on the identity of biosemiotics and its ethical implications. The collection includes a bibliography of Kalevi Kull’s academic writings in English.
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