In Republic VI 508e-9b Plato has Socrates claim that the Good is the cause (αίτίαν) of truth and knowledge as well as the very being of the Forms. Consequently, as causes must be distinct from and superior to their effects, the Good is neither truth nor knowledge nor even being, but exceeds them all in beauty (509a), as well as in honour and power (509b). No other passage in Plato has had a more intoxicating effect on its readers. To take (...) just one example, James Adam was moved to quote St. Paul when he remarked about this passage that, 'it is highly characteristic of Plato's whole attitude that he finds the true keystone of the Universe — the ultimate fountain from which both Knowledge and Existence flow — in no cold and colourless ontological abstraction, like Being, but in that for which "all creation groans and labours". (shrink)

This article presents evidence over which we stumbled while investigating a completely different part of the Platonic Corpus. While examining the ordinary working vocabulary of the doubtful dialogues and of those undisputed dialogues most readily compared with them, it seemed essential to have a representative sample of Plato's allegedly 'middle' and 'late' dialogues also. The real surprise came when the Critias was included, showing some frequencies not previously observed in Platonic dialogues. This prompted treatment of the Timaeus also, some of (...) which showed comparable peculiarities. The most distinctive feature was the increase in the rate of the definite article from around 8% of total vocabulary in dialogues assumed to be early, or around 10% in Laws, to some 14% in sizeable parts of the Timaeus-Critias, where Plato seemed no less interested in the literary credentials of his creations than elsewhere. Tests intended for application to our original set of problems were yielding results that appeared to bear on a number of problems central to the interpretation of the Timaeus-Critias. (shrink)

We propose a new interpretation of the equation E=mc² in special relativity by generalizing ideas of ontological emergence to fundamental physics. This allows us to propose that mass, as a property, can be considered to emerge from energy, using a well-known definition of weak ontological emergence. Einstein’s famous equation gains in this way a clearer philosophical interpretation, one that avoids the problems of previous attempts, and is fully consistent with the kinematic properties of special relativity, while yielding fresh insights concerning (...) the nature of mass. (shrink)

El presente artículo pretende aportar información concisa y útil acerca de un género cinematográfico sumamente apreciado por la crítica: el cine no narrativo. Para ello, en una primera parte se resaltan los fundamentos teóricos, sobre todo antropológicos, que dan a las películas no narrativas su carácter central, tanto estructural como elocutivo, como reflejo de un arte que reproduce el origen de los mitos; en una segunda parte se ofrecen ejemplos concretos de su funcionamiento con base en esos fundamentos y se (...) infieren los modos en que esas películas son recibidas por la audiencia; finalmente, se concluye cuál ha sido la influencia e importancia de este tipo de cine a lo largo de la historia y se explora el posible futuro de este tipo de cine. El método empleado es inductivo y cualitativo, por lo que la interpretación personal tiene primacía en este trabajo. (shrink)

Traducción del artículo de María Elvira Díaz-Benítez, “Dark Room aqui: um ritual de escuridão e silêncio”, publicado originalmente por la Revista Cadernos De Campo, 16, 93-112 en el año 2007. La traducción al español es de su autora.

Together with language, music is perhaps the most distinctive behavioral trait of the human species. Different hypotheses have been proposed to explain why only humans perform music and how this ability might have evolved in our species. In this paper, we advance a new model of music evolution that builds on the self-domestication view of human evolution, according to which the human phenotype is, at least in part, the outcome of a process similar to domestication in other mammals, triggered by (...) the reduction in reactive aggression responses to environmental changes. We specifically argue that self-domestication can account for some of the cognitive changes, and particularly for the behaviors conducive to the complexification of music through a cultural mechanism. We hypothesize four stages in the evolution of music under self-domestication forces: (1) collective protomusic; (2) private, timbre-oriented music; (3) small-group, pitch-oriented music; and (4) collective, tonally organized music. This line of development encompasses the worldwide diversity of music types and genres and parallels what has been hypothesized for languages. Overall, music diversity might have emerged in a gradual fashion under the effects of the enhanced cultural niche construction as shaped by the progressive decrease in reactive (i.e., impulsive, triggered by fear or anger) aggression and the increase in proactive (i.e., premeditated, goal-directed) aggression. (shrink)

La filosofía de Anne Finch, Viscondesa de Conway ha sido estudiada desde la perspectiva del papel crítico de su monismo vitalista frente a la filosofía de sus contemporáneos, así como en la valoración de su papel en la historia de la filosofía. No obstante, la atención que han recibido sus tesis epistemológicas ha sido escasa en razón del carácter fragmentario de sus Principios de la más antigua y moderna filosofía (1690). El presente artículo parte de la idea de que es (...) posible sistematizar la filosofía de esta autora moderna, lo cual, implica la reconstrucción de sus tesis epistemológicas a través de los conceptos de percepción sensible e imaginación. Lo anterior, nos permitirá no sólo comprender estas tesis bajo la lógica de su correlación con la ontología y la filosofía moral de Conway, también permite acceder a una propuesta original alterna a los modelos mecanicistas imperantes en la época. (shrink)

In this paper, we explore digitally fabricated aesthetic enhancements and modifications of the body as well as digitally fabricated fauna habitats. We will address how we utilize speculative works through our bio inspired digitally fabricated designs via two of our most recent projects: {skin} D.E.E.P. and in silico et in situ. Through these two projects we explore cultural implications of the intersection of technology and biologically inspired art/design. Technology has provided an ever increasing amount of data which has facilitated the (...) way data can be used in aesthetic explorations. Technology can redefine the human experience by enhancing our senses, experiences, and forms of expression. In our work {skin} D.E.E.P., we explore these ideas via augmentation through wearables and biomimetic expressions on the skin through digitally fabricated prosthetics. {skin} D.E.E.P. employs temporary biomimetic skin patterns via wearable 3D printed exoskeletons. The first series of this work mimics the patterns and textures of animal skin via ephemeral impressions onto human skin. Taking inspiration from shedding snakeskin, we shed the outer layer by removing the 3D printed prosthesis. The epidermis retains the negative imprint of the prosthetic mimicking the look of serpent skin. The dermis reestablishes the smooth form of the human skin as it heals itself within the hour, erasing the ephemeral imprint, symbolically representing rebirth and renewal. Investigating the ephemeral aesthetic of textured patterns on human skin will not by any means provide a solution to an engineering problem, yet acts as a larger philosophical basis to conduct a discussion about the possibilities of blending bio inspired designs. The manifestation of data into physical form occurs via digital fabrication in our most recent series in silico et in situ: fauna habitats in the age of voxels, where we aim to create a new ecosystem for animals and to potentially augment their habitat. The habitats include pollinator waterers, spider habitats and turtle basking platforms. This project pushes forward with a new piece—the development of a 20-foot avian sculpture that will solely exist to support the habitat of the Chimney Swift species. The Chimney Swift is a near-threatened bird species in the US. in silico et in situ investigates the interplay of art, nature and technology by contextualizing sculptural works and placing these sculptures into nature. The project serves as a breeding ground for a larger dialogue about nature, culture, human intervention, design art and technology. Providing the artwork in the public sphere, barrier free in nature, fosters this discourse. (shrink)

O texto apresenta a tradução ao português uma seleção de microcontos do escritor paraguaio Mario Halley Mora, que foi o precursor desse gênero no Paraguai (BARCO, 2002). Os microontos fazem parte da obra “Cuentos, microcuentos y anticuentos” publicada em 1987 pela editora El Lector, cuja versão online pode ser acessada na Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes.

This work deals with obstacles hindering a metaphysics of laws of nature in terms of dispositions, i.e., of fundamental properties that are causal powers. A recent analysis of the principle of least action has put into question the viability of dispositionalism in the case of classical mechanics, generally seen as the physical theory most easily amenable to a dispositional ontology. Here, a proper consideration of the framework role played by the least action principle within the classical image of the world (...) allows us to build a consistent metaphysics of dispositions as charges of interactions. In doing so we develop a general approach that opens the way towards an ontology of dispositions for fundamental physics also beyond classical mechanics. (shrink)

R??SUM???? travers l?????tude de la correspondance philosophique entre Descartes et Henry More, je souhaiterais montrer que les th??mes centraux en sont la consid??ration de la nature de l???espace et le statut de l???infini, bien que la pol??mique aborde??galement le probl??me ontologique de la distinction entre l?????tendue et la pens??e, et les questions physiques de la n??gation du vide et de l???atomisme. More rejette l???hypoth??se cart??sienne d???un univers ind??fini, qu???il consid??re??tre une mani??re d??tourn??e de postuler le caract??re infini de l???univers, ce (...) qui revient?? attribuer tout autant l???infinit???? la mati??re qu????? Dieu, d???o?? le fait que Descartes soit un mat??rialiste selon Henry More. ABSTRACT The correspondence between Descartes and More covers a diversity of each author???s fundamental philosophical views. Their polemics range over not only general aspects of physics, but also extend to cosmology and theology. On the one hand, we have God as infinite and His creation as indefinite for Descartes; on the other hand, God as extant, ubiquitous and omnipresent, and His creation as limited for Henry More. It is this last problem that constitutes the focus of my essay, strictly speaking??? the problem of the universe as infinite. (shrink)

Esta investigación trata sobre la Lógica poética formulada por Giambattista Vico en la Ciencia nueva. Se trata de una teoría de la génesis, desarrollo y constitución del λóγος humano, no en cuanto intelecto, sino en cuanto expresión lingüística. Trata pues del origen del lenguaje. Esta investigación se desarrolla en dos partes (sincrónica y diacrónica) de la que aquí presento la primera. En ulteriores investigaciones acometeré la segunda. El trabajo se inicia con un estudio de las fuentes vichianas y su reformulación (...) por parte de nuestro pensador. Seguidamente se analiza el requisito para la formación de cualquier lenguaje natural (es decir, no formal), que para Vico reside en lo que llama una Metafísica poética. El núcleo del trabajo estriba en la comprensión de lo que Vico denomina primera operación de la mente humana. Desde esta teoría del conocimiento cabe acceder al estudio sincrónico de los factores que posibilitan el lenguaje humano. Los divido en tres tipos: biopsicológicos, socio-culturales e internos al mismo lenguaje. (shrink)

Esta investigación trata sobre la Lógica poética formulada por Giambattista Vico en la Ciencia nueva. Se trata de una teoría de la génesis, desarrollo y constitución del λóγος humano, no en cuanto intelecto, sino en cuanto expresión lingüística. Trata pues del origen del lenguaje. Esta investigación se desarrolla en dos partes (sincrónica y diacrónica) de la que aquí presento la primera. En ulteriores investigaciones acometeré la segunda. El trabajo se inicia con un estudio de las fuentes vichianas y su reformulación (...) por parte de nuestro pensador. Seguidamente se analiza el requisito para la formación de cualquier lenguaje natural (es decir, no formal), que para Vico reside en lo que llama una Metafísica poética. El núcleo del trabajo estriba en la comprensión de lo que Vico denomina primera operación de la mente humana. Desde esta teoría del conocimiento cabe acceder al estudio sincrónico de los factores que posibilitan el lenguaje humano. Los divido en tres tipos: biopsicológicos, socio-culturales e internos al mismo lenguaje. (shrink)

El presente artículo nace de un proyecto de investigación I+D+i del Plan Estatal 2017-2020. Concretamente, nos centraremos en la primera fase de investigación, cuyo objetivo fué analizar, reflexionar e identificar qué mirada existe hacia la diversidad. Para ello, se llevó a cabo una investigación documental de corte cualitativa. Tras los resultados alcanzados, se percibe la necesidad de una mayor formación desde el ámbito educativo y de los futuros profesionales con el objetivo de alcanzar una escuela inclusiva preparada para atender a (...) la diversidad. (shrink)

En este trabajo, en base a análisis realizados en población adulta argentina que vinculan patrones de salud a nivel poblacional con una hipótesis de la biología evolutiva, buscamos poner en evidencia las limitaciones y problematizar algunos de los supuestos y enfoques de la epidemiología “clásica” para explicar condiciones complejas no transmisibles como, en este caso, la diabetes tipo 2. Asimismo, a través de este análisis cuestionamos la adopción acrítica y descontextualizada de criterios diagnósticos y categorías desarrolladas de acuerdo a intereses (...) particulares e impuestas través de relaciones desiguales de poder. (shrink)

Hoy, desde muy diferentes lugares, se exige democracia. Se utiliza además un medio hasta ahora poco presente en la lucha política: la red, lo que dota de gran visibilidad a movimientos de otro modo ignorados. Así ha aparecido un doble mito: Que Internet garantiza la democracia; que permite la participación directa e ilustrada de la mayoría de la población. Sin embargo, los movimientos de 2011 lo demuestran, el destino de la democracia se juega en un terreno real caracterizado por la (...) desigualdad en la distribución de recursos y la escasa participación de la ciudadanía. (shrink)

Presentamos la doctrina tradicional de la conversión simple de las oraciones categóricas y de las oraciones modales cuantificadas atendiendo al análisis medieval de las mismas en base a las oraciones de identidad. Estas oraciones de identidad resultan ser necesarias cuando son verdaderas e imposibles cuando son falsas. Simplificamos nuestro tratamiento reduciendo nuestro universo del discurso a pequeños �mundos� de individuos y propiedades recurriendo en parte al simbolismo ordinario y añadiendo un símbolo para la parte modal.

Puesto que es imposible hacer justicia, en unas cuantas páginas, a un libro tan bien investigado, organizado y escrito, no trataremos de resumir aquí el contenido de sus diferentes capítulos. Nos limitaremos, simplemente, a destacar lo que en éste nos ha parecido ser lo más significativo e importante; por lo menos en términos de su capacidad para interpretar el pensamiento y la acción política de Jaime Guzmán; pero, en especial, en cuanto a su capacidad para iluminar el significado y las (...) proy.. (shrink)

Processing data streams arriving at high speed requires the development of models that can provide fast and accurate predictions. Although deep neural networks are the state-of-the-art for many machine learning tasks, their performance in real-time data streaming scenarios is a research area that has not yet been fully addressed. Nevertheless, much effort has been put into the adaption of complex deep learning (DL) models to streaming tasks by reducing the processing time. The design of the asynchronous dual-pipeline DL framework allows (...) making predictions of incoming instances and updating the model simultaneously, using two separate layers. The aim of this work is to assess the performance of different types of DL architectures for data streaming classification using this framework. We evaluate models such as multi-layer perceptrons, recurrent, convolutional and temporal convolutional neural networks over several time series datasets that are simulated as streams at different speeds. In addition, we evaluate how the different architectures react to concept drifts typically found in evolving data streams. The obtained results indicate that convolutional architectures achieve a higher performance in terms of accuracy and efficiency, but are also the most sensitive to concept drifts. (shrink)

We show a sentence and modal square of opposition and equivalence to be expanded into an hexagon according to oe suggestion from William of Sherwood. This expansión is permittedby two sentence and modal rules.The logical relations of the square allow us to formulate several theorems in order to show a glimpse of the Medieval Logic complexity.

Este trabajo explora las representaciones de las mujeres en una selección de manuales escolares empleados en las escuelas paraguayas durante el período 1989-2020, con el objetivo de analizar el papel histórico atribuido a las mujeres en los relatos escolares acerca de la Guerra de la Triple Alianza. Se sostiene que a pesar del proceso de revisión del currículo escolar y la política educativa iniciado con la transición democrática en 1989 persisten las representaciones hegemónicas de las mujeres ligadas al nacionalismo, afianzando (...) los roles tradicionales de género en el marco de una sociedad patriarcal. (shrink)

La igualdad entre hombres y mujeres no será plena mientras que no transformemos el orden patriarcal que sigue sustentando una diferenciación jerárquica entre unos y otras. Ello pasa por revisar la masculinidad tradicional y la racionalidad construida a imagen y semejanza del varón. Un reto que supone a su vez transformar las relaciones entre lo público y lo privado, así como las bases del conocimiento y de una concepción de lo humano basada en los privilegios masculinos y en la negación (...) de la diversidad.Equality will not be full if we don’t transform the patriarchal order that continues to support a hierarchical differentiation between men and women. This calls for reviewing the traditional masculinity and the rationality constructed in the image and the likeness of the male. A challenge which in turn means to transform the relationship between public and private, and the basis of knowledge and a conception of humanity based on male privilege and the denial of diversity. (shrink)

Populism is described in this volume as an umbrella term covering a number of commonly seen political phenomena, i.e. ‘American populism, Russian Narodniki, European agrarian movements, and Argenti...

En este artículo se realiza una semblanza general del pensador colombiano Darío Botero Uribe, en especial, sobre sus ideas en torno al pensamiento latinoamericano. En este sentido, se aborda el problema de la particularidad y la universalidad del pensamiento, la crítica de la modernización y el colonialismo intelectual, el problema de la cultura y de su puesto en la filosofía latinoamericana y colombiana, a la vez que establece una relación con la problemática del mestizaje indoamericano.

A common approach for measuring the effectiveness of an education system or a school is the estimation of the impact that school interventions have on students’ academic performance. However, the latest trends aim to extend the focus beyond students’ acquisition of knowledge and skills, and to consider aspects such as well-being in the academic context. For this reason, the 2015 edition of the international assessment system PISA incorporated a new tool aimed at evaluating the socio-affective variables related to the well-being (...) of students. It is based on a definition focused on the five dimensions proposed in PISA theoretical framework: cognitive, psychological, social, physical and material. The main purpose of this study is to identify the well-being components that significantly affect student academic performance and to estimate the magnitude of school effects on the well-being of students in OECD countries, the school effect being understood as the ability of schools to increase subjective student well-being. To achieve this goal, we analyzed the responses of 234,000 students from thirty-five OECD countries to PISA 2015 questionnaires. Specifically, we considered non-cognitive variables in the questionnaires and student performance in science. The results indicated that the cognitive well-being dimension, composed of enjoyment of science, self-efficacy and instrumental motivation, as well as the test anxiety all had a consistent relationship with student performance across countries. In addition, the school effect, estimated through a two-level hierarchical linear model, in terms of student well-being was systematically low. While the school effect accounted for approximately 25% of the variance in the results for the cognitive dimension, only 5-9% of variance in well-being indicators was attributable to it. This suggests that the influence of school on student welfare is weak, and the effect is similar across countries. The present study contributes to the general discussion currently underway about the definition of well-being and the connection between well-being and achievement. The results highlighted two complementary concerns: there is a clear need to promote socio-emotional education in schools, and it is important to develop a rigorous framework for well-being assessment. The implications of the results and proposals for future studies are discussed. (shrink)

May I be permitted to chat a little, by way of recreation, at the end of a somewhat toilsome and perhaps fruitless adventure?”1 So begins the introduction to Robert Browning’s “transcription,” as he entitles it, of Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, in which the principles of literal translation are discussed and defended.2 As one who has recently been on the same adventure as Robert Browning, I wonder whether it is not salutary to review his arguments, for I have come to believe firmly that (...) the path he took was fruitless, or very nearly so. Yet of the many translators, stretching into the most recent times, who have provided us with literal renditions of ancient Greek texts, he at least offered an apology for it, and a better one, in my view, than any I have seen. I want to try, by reviewing Browning’s arguments, to shed some light on why his adventure of translation was barren, and in the process state some precautions for the translation of ancient Greek literature. I am not sure whether these precautions apply to the philosophy of translation in general, for the differences between two languages vary greatly with time and place; nevertheless, the review may be of some general help. (shrink)

In this article, after some thoughts on medieval logic and teaching, we present Thomas Murner’s text, Logica memorativa, showing some of his mnemonic strategies for the student to learn logic quickly. Murner offers a type of “flash cards” that illustrate much of the teaching of logic at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The first impression is visual, because the cards do not contain words that illustrate their content. Murner’s exposition rests on analogies between logic themes that are explained and (...) the visual images presented. (shrink)

Francisco Suárez se inserta en la línea de los escolásticos españoles del siglo XVI, especialmente de los dos jesuitas que, junto con él, culminan esta escuela: Gabriel Vázquez de Belmonte y Luis de Molina. Se diferencia de ellos en que él es nominalista. Se adelantó a los autores de la Edad Moderna en la carrera por las libertades típicamente modernas, tales como la afirmación de los derechos subjetivos naturales, la democracia como la forma más natural o más próxima a la (...) libertad del hombre, la libertad de conciencia (no de cultos). Estuvo omnipresente en los escolásticos de las Edades Modernas y Contemporánea que, de hecho, entendieron que él culminó la escolástica, de forma tal que también Tomás de Aquino debe ser interpretado a la luz de sus escritos. (shrink)

I describe an octagon of opposition and equivalence developed by fourteenth-century logicians, in particular by Jean Buridan in his Summulae de dialectica. This «square» of opposition displays complex logical relations, one of which is not found in the traditional square of opposition. The octagon allows expression of three kinds of sentences: quantified modal sentences, oblique sentences, and sentences with quantified predicates. The octagon shows that medieval logicians were working with a logic of relations, an identity logic, and a modal logic (...) not unlike the logic of our own day. (shrink)

In this paper the medieval octagons of opposition and equivalence are described and analized. One of them, the octagon for quantified predicates, is the simplest one and offers the pattern for the other two, the octagon for predicate with modal qualification and the octagon for quantified genitive and nominative sentences. Thus, the first is the princeps analogum for the other two, whose structure is more complex. Then we describe an internal square inside the octagon, the square of the so-called disparatae (...) sentences, which obey no law from the traditional Aristotelian square. (shrink)

I present some ideas from medieval thinkers concerning sentences which subject term has no reference and as kif those sentences can admit truth values. I present the ideas of William of Ockham, Jean Buridan and Albert of Saxony, from the nominalist side, and Vicente Ferrer exposing the moderate realism. Then we present two New Spain thinkers, Alonso de la Veracruz and Tomas de Mercado.

El artículo busca revelar como resultado el papel de la comunicación de la innovación social en el comportamiento del usuario, si este modifica su intención de consumir un producto o servicio, cuando conoce que la empresa que oferta el bien o servicio tiene una práctica de innovación social implementada. Para responder al objetivo se formularon dos hipótesis que fueron testeadas mediante la aplicación de una encuesta basada en una muestra de conveniencia, que recolectó 300 respuestas en toda América Latina. Los (...) resultados obtenidos permiten suponer que el consumidor en Latinoamérica, en general, no solo quiere tener más información disponible y accesible (tanto en términos de accesibilidad de medios como de lenguaje), sino que quiere involucrarse, ser escuchado y poder intervenir en la comunidad; ya sea por iniciativa propia o alentado por las marcas y empresas en general. (shrink)

Big Ideas for Little Kids includes everything a teacher, a parent, or a college student needs to teach philosophy to elementary school children from picture books. Written in a clear and accessible style, the book explains why it is important to allow young children access to philosophy during primary-school education. Wartenberg also gives advice on how to construct a "learner-centered" classroom, in which children discuss philosophical issues with one another as they respond to open-ended questions by saying whether they agree (...) or disagree with what others have said. (shrink)

Introducing Dialogic Pedagogy presents some of the ideas of Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin concerning dialogism in a way that will engage and inspire those studying early childhood education. By translating the growing body of dialogic scholarship into a practical application of teaching and learning with very young children, this book provides readers with alternative ways of examining, engaging and reflecting on practice in the early years to provoke new ways of understanding and enacting pedagogy. This text combines important theoretical ideas (...) with a practical application to support practitioners who are keen to promote creativity and agency through ethical self-other relations. It provides unique insights into the amazing world of the youngest child, and offers enriched understandings of the profound impact of adults in their journey of becoming (or bildung). Key points covered include: Investigating dialogic philosophy and its application to early childhood education, with an emphasis on notions of justice, democracy, ethics and answerability Considering the relationship between dialogism and pedagogical approaches Theorising a range of approaches to relevant early childhood practice, as pedagogy This accessible and readable guide offers sound theoretical principles with practical suggestions for early years' settings. The book is supplemented by an extensive online video resource website that will bring these revolutionary ideas to life.. (shrink)

We argue that the distinction between framework and interaction theories should be taken carefully into consideration when dealing with the philosophical implications of fundamental theories in physics. In particular, conclusions concerning the nature of reality can only be consistently derived from assessing the ontological and epistemic purport of both types of theories. We put forward an epistemic form of realism regarding framework theories, such as Quantum Field Theory. The latter, indeed, informs us about the general properties of quantum fields, laying (...) the groundwork for interaction theories. Yet, concerning interaction theories, we recommend a robust form of ontological realism regarding the entities whose existence is assumed by these theories. As an application, we refer to the case of the Standard Model, so long as it has proved to successfully inform us about the nature of various sorts of fundamental particles making up reality. In short, although we acknowledge that both framework and interaction theories partake in shaping our science-based view of reality, and that neither would do by itself the work we expect them to accomplish together, our proposal for a coherent ontology of fundamental entities advances a compromise between two forms of realism about theories in each case. (shrink)

This is a critical review of Manuel García-Carpintero's "Las palabras, las ideas y las cosas".

This paper aims to explore a potential connection between two hypotheses recently put forward in the context of language evolution. One hypothesis argues that some human-specific change in the hominin brain developmental program habilitated the neuronal workspace that enabled “cognitive modernity” to unfold, also resulting in our globularized braincase. The other argues that the cultural niche resulting from our self-domestication favored the emergence of natural languages. In this article we document numerous links between the genetic changes we have claimed may (...) have brought about globularization and neural crest cells, which have been claimed to explain the constellation of distinctive traits found in all domesticated mammals. If these links turn out to be as robust as we think they are, globularization and self-domestication may well be closely related phenomena in the context of human evolution. (shrink)