From Interaction to Symbol: A systems view of the evolution of signs and communication (Iconicity in Language and Literature)

Against the background of jargon-ridden and often obscure semiotic literature Sadowski’s book offers a reader-friendly yet rigorous account of human communication and its evolution from animal and primate behaviour. What is specifically human about the way we exchange information with other people, and to what extent are our facial expressions, body language, and even emotive elements of speech still indebted to our pre-human ancestors? Why can the chimpanzees, smart as they are, not interpret animal tracks in the ground; why did religions often ban representational art; why is photography perceptually more powerful than painting; how have human syntactic speech and combinatorial grammar enabled the “explosion” of culture; and why do otherwise rational humans often strongly believe in the objective existence of unempirical, virtual entities such as religious and philosophic concepts? These and many other fascinating questions are addressed in the book within the methodological framework of systems theory and evolutionary psychology. Dedication......Page 6 Table of contents......Page 8 List of figures......Page 12 Acknowledgements......Page 14 Systems theory......Page 24 Why we need a theory......Page 26 Problems with philosophy......Page 29 Logical deduction......Page 35 Postmodern "theory"......Page 37 A systems view......Page 40 A holistic approach......Page 43 What is a definition?......Page 48 Information as difference......Page 52 Contiguous communication......Page 55 Indexical communication......Page 57 Iconic communication......Page 59 Symbolic communication......Page 62 Parainformation as meaning......Page 64 Communicating meaningful information......Page 66 Meaning and significance......Page 71 Deception......Page 74 Self-deception......Page 77 Metainformation as implied meaning......Page 79 More useful definitions......Page 89 Needs as motivators of behaviour......Page 94 Needs and emotions......Page 95 Types of needs......Page 99 Human uniqueness......Page 108 Humanism versus dogmatism......Page 111 From emotive vocalizations to bodily adornments......Page 114 Defining index......Page 117 Bodily signals and the beginnings of referentiality......Page 120 Bodily adornments as the first indexical signs......Page 124 From memory to consciousness......Page 128 Memory and the beginnings of culture......Page 136 Material culture as index......Page 142 When indexicality is mistaken for contiguity......Page 146 Indexical and iconic "magic" ......Page 148 Brief history of iconic indexicality......Page 152 Photography versus painting......Page 155 Photography and the human face......Page 159 The birth of cinema......Page 168 The mirror and contiguous iconic indexicality......Page 173 Contiguous experience and the birth of television......Page 176 Television today – contiguity still reigns supreme......Page 179 Contiguity goes global......Page 181 Iconicity in animal communication......Page 184 From mimicry to imitation......Page 188 Mimetic culture......Page 190 From imitation to mimesis......Page 192 The birth of pictorial realism......Page 195 Fantastic representations......Page 201 Iconic roots of metaphors......Page 203 The thrills of visual realism......Page 206 Art and ideology......Page 207 Religion and realism in art......Page 211 The rediscovery of the body......Page 215 Physical space rediscovered......Page 217 Photography and the decline of realism in painting......Page 224 Why we enjoy pictures......Page 227 Linguistic iconicity and the limits of arbitrariness......Page 230 Defining symbol......Page 231 Indexical features of language......Page 233 The emotive features of language and music......Page 236 Phonetic iconicity......Page 238 Morphological and syntactic iconicity......Page 244 Iconic gestures......Page 247 The origins of language and the advantages of arbitrariness......Page 254 Discrete syntax for the (partly) discrete world......Page 255 Selective pressures on early language......Page 261 Language and the problem of reference......Page 265 The origins of arbitrariness......Page 268 How language produces meaning......Page 271 Other possible sources of language: sexual selection and gestures......Page 274 Language and the symbolic compulsion......Page 280 It's not all in language......Page 281 The excesses of language combinatorial machine......Page 286 The conceptual indulgence of philosophic discourse......Page 291 The humanities' physics envy......Page 297 References......Page 304 Index......Page 320 The series Iconicity in Language and Literature......Page 324 Against The Background Of Jargon-ridden And Often Obscure Semiotic Literature Piotr Sadowski's Book Offers A Reader-friendly Yet Rigorous Account Of Human Communication And Its Evolution From Animal And Primate Behaviour. What Is Specifically Human About The Way We Exchange Information With Other People, And To What Extent Are Our Facial Expressions, Body Language, And Even Emotive Elements Of Speech Still Indebted To Our Pre-human Ancestors? Why Can The Chimpanzees, Smart As They Are, Not Interpret Animal Tracks In The Ground; Why Did Religions Often Ban Representational Art; Why Is Photography Perceptually More Powerful Than Painting; How Have Human Syntactic Speech And Combinatorial Grammar Enabled The Explosion Of Culture; And Why Do Otherwise Rational Humans Often Strongly Believe In The Objective Existence Of Unempirical, Virtual Entities Such As Religious And Philosophic Concepts? These And Many Other Questions Are Addressed In The Book Within The Methodological Framework Of Systems Theory And Evolutionary Psychology.--jacket. Systems Theory : Between Philosophy And Science, But More Science Than Philosophy -- Towards A Systems Model Of Communication -- Needs As Motivators Of Behaviour -- From Emotive Vocalizations To Bodily Adornments : The Origins Of Referentiality -- Photography, Or The Magic Of Iconic Indexicality -- Photography Plus Movement, Or Even Magic -- From Mimicry To Metaphor : The Origins Of Art -- The Thrills Of Visual Realism -- Linguistic Iconicity And The Limits Of Arbitrariness -- The Origins Of Language And The Advantages Of Arbitrariness -- Language And The Symbolic Compulsion. Piotr Sadowski. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.