The Way We Think : Conceptual Blending And The Mind's Hidden Complexities

In its first two decades, much of cognitive science focused on such mental functions as memory, learning, symbolic thought, and language acquisition -- the functions in which the human mind most closely resembles a computer. But humans are more than computers, and the cutting-edge research in cognitive science is increasingly focused on the more mysterious, creative aspects of the mind. The Way We Think is a landmark synthesis that exemplifies this new direction. The theory of conceptual blending is already widely known in laboratories throughout the world; this book is its definitive statement. Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner argue that all learning and all thinking consist of blends of metaphors based on simple bodily experiences. These blends are then themselves blended together into an increasingly rich structure that makes up our mental functioning in modern society. A child's entire development consists of learning and navigating these blends. The Way We Think shows how this blending operates; how it is affected by (and gives rise to) language, identity, and concept of category; and the rules by which we use blends to understand ideas that are new to us. The result is a bold, exciting, and accessible new view of how the mind works. "Until recently, cognitive science has focused on such mental functions as problem solving, grammar, and pattern recognition - the functions, in other words, in which the human mind most resembles a computer. But human beings are more than computers: We invent new meanings, make discoveries, have new ideas that never existed before, and use our powerful imaginations routinely in everyday life. Cognitive science, at last, is focusing on these mysterious, creative aspects of the mind." "A major statement by two of the world's leading cognitive scientists, The Way We Think is an analysis of the imaginative nature of the human mind. The research program of conceptual blending is already widely known; this book, written to be accessible to lay readers and students as well as interested scientists, is its definitive statement. Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner show that conceptual blending is at the root of the cognitively modern human mind - the mind that human beings have worked with since the Upper Paleolithic Age. Conceptual blends themselves are repeatedly blended and reblended by people and their cultures to create the rich fabric of the way we live. Learning and navigating these blends is the crucial mental activity of the developing child."--Jacket Preface Acknowledgments Contents Overview by Chapter Part I: The Network Model 1. The Age of Form and The Age of Imigination 2. The Tip of the Iceberg 3. The Elements of Blending 4. On the Way to Deeper Matters 5. Cause and Effect 6. Vital Relations and Their Compressions 7. Compression and Clashes 8. Continuity Behind Diversity Part II: How Conceptual Blending Makes Human Beings What They Are, For Better and For Worse 9. The Origin Of Language 10. Things 11. The Construction of the Unreal 12. Identity and Character 13. Category Metamorphosis 14. Multiple Blends 15. Multiple-Scope Creativity 16. Constitutive and Governing Principles 17. Form and Meaning 18. The Way we Live Notes References Further Important Work On Conceptual Blending Index