The Metaphysics of Apes
The Metaphysics of Apes
$32.00
USDTracing the interpretation of the human-like great apes and ape-like earliest ancestors of present-day humans, this study demonstrates how from the days of Linnaeus to the present, the sacred and taboo-ridden animal-human boundary was constantly tested. The unique dignity of humans, a central value in the West, was, and to some extent still is, on the minds of taxonomists, ethnologists, primatologists, and archaeologists. This book thus offers an anthropological analysis of the burgeoning anthropological disciplines in terms of their own cultural taboos and philosophical preconceptions.
- The application of ethnological pollution theory to the history of the anthropological sciences is new, as is the application of ideas of Hilary Putnam (a leading American philosopher) to the history of the anthropological sciences
Reviews & endorsements
'The book is interesting for anthropologists in general as well as primatologists who want to know more about the history of views of great apes.' Gorilla Journal
'This book can be highly recommended to primatologists, palaeontologists, archaeologists and anthropologists interested in how usually theoretical presuppositions influence their interpretations of empirical data. It is well well written and informative …' Antiquity
'The Metaphysics of Apes, contains a wealth of information and ideas, reflecting Raymond Corbey's extensive knowledge of anthropology, archaeology and philosophy. The connections he draws between on-going debates regarding human identity and those of the seventeenth century are fascinating. … very well written … extremely rewarding. It should be essential reading for anyone working in the field of human evolution, especially for those bold enough to declare a view on the relationship between human and other animals.' Cambridge Archaeological Journal
'Raymond Corbey, a philosopher of primatology (for lack of a better term), ventures into these treacherous waters with a book that is thoughtful and approachable.' International Journal of Primatology
'The text is clearly written, … and has useful summaries at the end of each chapter. … a fascinating, informative and intriguing must for all those interested in the arguments humans have found to place themselves, their alike and their ancestors in nature or, alternatively, above or beside it.' Sabine Eggers, Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Product details
March 2005Paperback
9780521545334
238 pages
229 × 153 × 17 mm
0.325kg
8 b/w illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I. Ambiguous Apes:
- 1. Traditional views of apes
- 2. The discovery of apes and early hominids
- 3. Citizens and animals
- Part II. Crafting the Primate Order:
- 4. Homo sylvestris
- 5. The primate order
- 6. Separate again
- 7. Speaking apes
- Part III. Up From the Ape:
- 8. 'A grim and grotesque procession'
- 9. The monstrous other within
- 10. Narrative and paradox
- Part IV. Homo's Humanness:
- 11. The earliest homo
- 12. 'Ancients' and 'Moderns'
- Part V. 'Symbolic Man' in Ethnology:
- 13. A discipline's identity
- 14. Biological approaches rejected
- Part VI. Pan Sapiens?:
- 15. Fierce or gentle
- 16. Tools, mirrors, symbols
- 17. Ape and human rights
- Part VII. Beyond Dualism:
- 18. An epistemological reminder
- 19. Rethinking dichotomies
- Bibliography.
