Skip to content
Register Sign in Wishlist
Look Inside The Metaphysics of Apes

The Metaphysics of Apes
Negotiating the Animal-Human Boundary

  • Date Published: May 2005
  • availability: Available
  • format: Paperback
  • isbn: 9780521545334

Paperback

Add to wishlist

Other available formats:
Hardback


Looking for an inspection copy?

This title is not currently available on inspection

Description
Product filter button
Description
Contents
Resources
Courses
About the Authors
  • The Metaphysics of Apes, first published in 2005, traces the discovery and interpretation of the human-like great apes and the ape-like earliest ancestors of present-day humans. It shows how, from the days of Linnaeus to recent research, the sacred and taboo-ridden animal-human boundary was time and again challenged and adjusted. The unique dignity of humans, a central idea and value in the West, was, and to some extent still is, centrally on the minds of taxonomists, ethnologists, primatologists, and archaeologists. It has guided their research to a considerable extent. The basic presupposition was that humans are not entirely part of nature but, as symbolizing minds and as moral persons, transcend nature. This book was the first to offer 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
    Read more

    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

    See more reviews

    Customer reviews

    Not yet reviewed

    Be the first to review

    Review was not posted due to profanity

    ×

    , create a review

    (If you're not , sign out)

    Please enter the right captcha value
    Please enter a star rating.
    Your review must be a minimum of 12 words.

    How do you rate this item?

    ×

    Product details

    • Date Published: May 2005
    • format: Paperback
    • isbn: 9780521545334
    • length: 238 pages
    • dimensions: 229 x 153 x 17 mm
    • weight: 0.325kg
    • contains: 8 b/w illus.
    • availability: 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.

  • Author

    Raymond H. A. Corbey, Universiteit Leiden
    Raymond Corbey is Professor of Epistemology and Anthropology at Leiden University and Lecturer in philosophy at Tilburg University, both in the Netherlands. He has published extensively on the history of philosophical, scientific, and colloquial views of humans, animals, evolution, culture and cultural others, as well as on the history and epistemology of anthropology and the formation of ethnographic museums and collections. He is co-director of the research program Thoughtful Hunters? Neanderthal Behavioural and Cognitive Socioecology. He is the co-editor with Wil Roebroeks of Studying Human Animals: Disciplinary History and Epistemology (2001).

Related Books

Sorry, this resource is locked

Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email lecturers@cambridge.org

Register Sign in
Please note that this file is password protected. You will be asked to input your password on the next screen.

» Proceed

You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.

Continue ×

Continue ×

Continue ×
warning icon

Turn stock notifications on?

You must be signed in to your Cambridge account to turn product stock notifications on or off.

Sign in Create a Cambridge account arrow icon
×

Find content that relates to you

Join us online

This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Read more Close

Are you sure you want to delete your account?

This cannot be undone.

Cancel

Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.

If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.

×
Please fill in the required fields in your feedback submission.
×