Full Description
The main thesis of this book is that abstraction, far from being confined to higher forms of cognition, language and logical reasoning, has actually been a major driving force throughout the evolution of creatures with brains. It is manifest in emotive as well as rational thought. Wending its way through the various facets of abstraction, the book attempts to clarify - and relate - the often confusing meanings of the word 'abstract' that one may encounter even within the same discipline. The unusual synoptic approach, which draws upon research in psychology, neural network theory, child language acquisition, philosophy and consciousness studies, as well as a variety of linguistic disciplines, cannot be compared directly to other books on the market that touch upon just one particular aspect of abstraction. It is aimed at a wide readership - anyone interested in the nature of abstraction and the cognitive processing and purpose behind it. (series A)
Contents
1. Chapter 1. Introduction: Abstraction all the way down; 2. Chapter 2. Language, abstract and less abstract; 3. Chapter 3. Cognitive linguistics: Language embodied; 4. Chapter 4. Abstraction, metaphor and cultural context; 5. Chapter 5. The abstraction of events in narrative and memory; 6. Chapter 6. Pre-linguistic abstraction and projection: Perception and imagination; 7. Chapter 7. The feel of things: Abstract emotion; 8. Chapter 8. Neurological underpinnings: The world seen through hidden layers; 9. Chapter 9. Abstraction at work: It's child's play; 10. Chapter 10. The philosophical approach; 11. Chapter 11. Abstraction all the way up: Its evolutionary purpose; 12. References; 13. Name index; 14. Subject index
