In this course, revolutionary linguist Daniel Everett shares his lifetime’s experience with the remote Pirahã people of the Amazon, and makes the case that there is nothing essential to ‘human nature’- but rather that our genetics express themselves differently through different cultures.
In this course you will learn:
- Why the ‘dark matter of the mind’ shapes our ideas and attitudes.
- How epigenetics undermines the idea of genetic determinism.
- The flaws in the thinking behind universal archetypes, language and myths.
- Why neural flexibility is the key for our species’ success.
- The evolutionary importance of our relationships with animals
- How language functions as a cultural tool.
- What it means to have a sense of self.
- How we should imagine the mind as part of the body.
Course Syllabus
- Part One: Mind and Matter
What makes our minds unique? How do structures of knowledge and culture build on the brain?
- Part Two: The Self and Non-Self
Why do we experience a sense of self? Everett considers memory, culture, language and the body.