In praise of the hand: A philosopher considers the crucial role of
the hand in human evolution, particularly with respect to language.
"McGinn is an ingenious philosopher who thinks like a laser and
writes like a dream." -Steven Pinker This book is a hymn to the
hand. In Prehension, Colin McGinn links questions from science to
philosophical concerns to consider something that we take for
granted: the importance of the hand in everything we do. Drawing on
evolutionary biology, anatomy, archaeology, linguistics,
psychology, and philosophy, among other disciplines, McGinn
examines the role of the hand in shaping human evolution. He finds
that the development of our capacity to grasp, to grip, to take
hold (also known as prehension) is crucial in the emergence of Homo
sapiens. The human species possesses language, rational thought,
culture, and a specific affective capacity; but there was a time
when our ancestors had none of these. How did we become what we so
distinctively are, given our early origins? McGinn, following
Darwin and others, calls the hand the source of our biological
success. When our remote ancestors descended from trees, they
adopted a bipedal gait that left the hands free for other work;
they began to make tools, which led to social cooperation and
increased brain capacity. But McGinn goes further than others in
arguing for the importance of the hand; he speculates that the hand
played a major role in the development of language, and presents a
theory of primitive reference as an outgrowth of prehension. McGinn
sings the praises of the hand, and evolution, in a philosophical
key. He mixes biology, anthropology, analytical philosophy,
existential philosophy, sheer speculation, and utter amazement to
celebrate humans' achievement of humanity.
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