Folkbiology / edited by Douglas L. Medin and Scott Atran.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Medin, Douglas L.

Atran, Scott, 1952-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ethnobiology.

Folklore.

Cognition and culture.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 504 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, ©1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The term "folkbiology" refers to people's everyday understanding of the biological world--how they perceive, categorize, and reason about living kinds. The study of folkbiology not only sheds light on human nature, it may ultimately help us make the transition to a global economy without irreparably damaging the environment or destroying local cultures.This book takes an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together the work of researchers in anthropology, cognitive and developmental psychology, biology, and philosophy of science. The issues covered include: Are folk taxonomies a first-order approximation to classical scientific taxonomies, or are they driven more directly by utilitarian concerns? How are these category schemes linked to reasoning about natural kinds? Is there any nontrivial sense in which folk-taxonomic structures are universal? What impact does science have on folk taxonomy? Together, the chapters present the current foundations of folkbiology and indicate new directions in research.ContributorsScott Atran, Terry Kit-fong Au, Brent Berlin, K. David Bishop, John D. Coley, Jared Diamond, John Dupr , Roy Ellen, Susan A. Gelman, Michael T. Ghiselin, Grant Gutheil, Giyoo Hatano, Lawrence A. Hirschfeld, David L. Hull, Eugene Hunn, Kayoko Inagaki, Frank C. Keil, Daniel T. Levin, Elizabeth Lynch, Douglas L. Medin, Julia Beth Proffitt, Bethany A. Richman, Laura F. Romo, Sandra R. Waxman

Notes:

"A Bradford book."

Includes bibliographical references and index.

OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.

ISBN:

0-262-27961-4

0-585-33599-0

OCLC:

45844114