The Nature of Culture: Based on an Interdisciplinary Symposium ‘The Nature of Culture’, Tübingen, Germany (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology)

"This volume introduces a model of the expansion of cultural capacity as a systemic approach with biological, historical and individual dimensions. It is contrasted with existing approaches from primatology and behavioural ecology; influential factors like differences in life history and demography are discussed; and the different stages of the development of cultural capacity in human evolution are traced in the archaeological record. The volume provides a synthetic view on a) the different factors and mechanisms of cultural development, and b) expansions of cultural capacities in human evolution beyond the capacities observed in animal culture so far. It is an important topic because only a volume of contributions from different disciplines can yield the necessary breadth to discuss the complex subject. The model introduced and discussed originates in the naturalist context and tries to open the discussion to some culturalist aspects, thus the publication in a series with archaeological and biological emphasis is apt. As a new development the synthetic model of expansion of cultural capacity is introduced and discussed in a broad perspective"- - Springer Intro -- Preface -- Contents -- Contributors -- 1 The Nature of Culture: Research Goals and New Directions -- References -- 2 Lessons from Tasmania -- Cultural Performance Versus Cultural Capacity -- Abstract -- The Primitive Tasmanian Image -- The Three Dimensions of Cultural Performances -- Tasmanian Cultural Performances in the Late 18th Century -- Assessment of a Minimum of Cultural Capacities from a Set of Cultural Performances -- Conclusions: Lessons from Tasmania -- References -- 3 Culture as a Form of Nature -- Abstract -- The Status Quo of Nature -- Culture as a Variation of Nature -- Nature as an External and Internal Constitution -- The Dense Context of Nature -- The Problem of Conscious Inner Space -- Consciousness as a Social Organ -- Consciousness -- Independence Within Context -- The Public Interaction of Spirit and Reason -- The Meaning of Signs -- The Role of Written Language -- References -- 4 The Evolution of Hominin Culture and Its Ancient Pre-hominin Foundations -- Abstract -- Introduction -- The Evolution of Culture in the Animal Kingdom -- Evidence for Animal Social Learning, Traditions and Culture -- Social Information Transfer -- Traditions -- Multiple-Tradition Cultures -- Cumulative Culture -- The Dimensions of Ancestral Ape Culture -- Multiple-Tradition Cultures -- Cultural Content: Percussive Technology -- Social Learning Processes -- Imitation, Emulation, and the Cultures of the Oldowan and Acheulean -- The Evolution of Human Culture, Deep Social Mind and the Socio-Cognitive Niche -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- 5 Scarce but Significant: The Limestone Component of the Acheulean Site of Gesher Benot Ya& -- !#x2032 -- 'aqov, Israel -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Typology of Limestone Artifacts -- Cores and Core-Tools -- The Typological ``Life History'' of Percussors -- Flakes and Flake-Tools Front Matter....Pages i-x The Nature of Culture: Research Goals and New Directions....Pages 1-6 Lessons from Tasmania – Cultural Performance Versus Cultural Capacity....Pages 7-17 Culture as a Form of Nature....Pages 19-25 The Evolution of Hominin Culture and Its Ancient Pre-hominin Foundations....Pages 27-39 Scarce but Significant: The Limestone Component of the Acheulean Site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel....Pages 41-56 Technological Transformations Imply Cultural Transformations and Complex Cognition....Pages 57-63 Neanderthal Utilitarian Equipment and Group Identity: The Social Context of Bifacial Tool Manufacture and Use....Pages 65-77 Tracing Group Identity in Early Upper Paleolithic Stone and Organic Tools – Some Thoughts and Many Questions....Pages 79-85 Childhood, Play and the Evolution of Cultural Capacity in Neanderthals and Modern Humans....Pages 87-97 Stone Tools: Evidence of Something in Between Culture and Cumulative Culture?....Pages 99-120 The Island Test for Cumulative Culture in the Paleolithic....Pages 121-133 Mountaineering or Ratcheting? Stone Age Hunting Weapons as Proxy for the Evolution of Human Technological, Behavioral and Cognitive Flexibility....Pages 135-146 Back Matter....Pages 147-151