DOCSLIB.ORG

A BLANK SLATE? Brain Science and Cultures Florence, April 4Nd - 6Th 2019

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A BLANK SLATE? Brain Science and Cultures Florence, April 4Nd - 6Th 2019 Atti del convegno TABULA RASA? Neuroscienze e culture Biblioteca della Fondazione TABULA RASA? Neuroscienze e culture Proprietà letteraria della Fondazione Intercultura I testi di questo volume possono essere riprodotti gratuitamente citando la fonte e purchè per scopi non commerciali. Non se ne possono trarre opere derivate. tabularasa.fondazioneintercultura.org www.fondazioneintercultura.org Finito di stampare nel mese di novembre 2019 Sommario / Table of contents Il convegno / The conference 7 Programma / Programme 11 Tabula rasa? Roberto Ruffino 15 The Blank Slate (video presentation) Steven Pinker 19 Vedere, guardare, immagini nel tempo Lamberto Maffei 29 A Mind-Brain for Culture and Cultural Evolution Peter J. Richerson 43 Mind meets brain. The True Impact of Neuroscience on Philosophy Martin Gessmann 57 There is No Blank Slate: The Role of Geography, Genes, Brain and Behavior in Shaping Culture Nguyen-Phuong-Mai, 69 Culture, Cognition, and Consciousness Milton J. Bennett 83 Culture, Cognition, and Consciousness Ying-yi Hong 93 Universal Values across Cultures Lilach Sagiv 101 Oltre i confini di Babele. Sulla natura biologica del linguaggio umano Andrea Moro 117 Culture, intelligence, and wisdom Igor Grossmann 131 La conservazione della memoria genetica Alberto Piazza 147 Visual theft and the Origin of the Human Social Mind Mark Pagel 157 Nature e culture. Gli “schemi” e l’irriducibile pluralità dell’umano Adriano Favole e Stefano Allovio 173 Culture and Psyche: Towards a more universal psychology Sudhir Kakar 195 We are cultural animals Neil Levy 213 La cultura e i geni non si trasmettono da soli: il ruolo della mente Paolo Inghilleri 227 Ridere e veder ridere. Il mirroring emozionale tra natura e cultura Fausto Caruana 239 Brain plasticity and memory Hannah Monyer 257 Culture, Self, and the Brain Shinobu Kitayama 269 Dalla pseudospeciazione al capro espiatorio Romano Màdera 279 A Deep Culture Approach to Intercultural Learning: Culture, Cognition and the Intuitive Mind Joseph Shaules 289 The Blank Slate and Evolutionary Psychology David Sloan Wilson 305 Educazione morale e neuroscienze tra natura e cultura Milena Santerini 323 Neuropsicologia dell’esperienza religiosa e della meditazione Franco Fabbro 335 L’invenzione delle razze Guido Barbujani 351 Definire e misurare il valore dello stato di coscienza Marcello Massimini 353 The Blank Slate and the Bell Curve Ian Tattersall 355 Thoughts from the panel discussion: “Cultures, brain, genes and values” Bettina Gehrke 363 On Intercultural Exchange Francesco Cavalli Sforza 365 Conclusioni Roberto Toscano 371 Il convegno TABULA RASA? Neuroscienze e culture Firenze, 4 - 6 aprile 2019 Già nel 2002, pubblicando “Tabula rasa”1, Steven Pinker spiegava come sia proprio la peculiare “qualità” della specie umana, fondata sull’attività fisiologica del cervello, a rendere possibile la libertà di scelta. In quell’opera Pinker affrontava temi “scomodi” come le differenze psicobiologiche fra uomini e donne o le componenti genetiche della violenza, dell’intelligenza e dei sentimenti. Con il conforto di dati storico-scientifici, cercava di dimostrare che un riconoscimento dell’identità dell’uomo come frutto di un’evoluzione biologica non è un’ipotesi socialmente pericolosa, ma può anzi essere l’indispensabile completamento delle grandi intuizioni che hanno avuto in passato l’arte e la filosofia. Nel 2011 Lamberto Maffei, neuroscienziato già al CNR e alla Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, affermava che: Una domanda interessante per il neurobiologo è se determinate proprietà siano già presenti alla nascita, e quindi siano riferibili ai geni che sono alla base della costruzione di una determinata struttura cerebrale, o se siano frutto dell’esperienza… Sbrogliare l’intricata matassa di innato e acquisito risulta difficile anche a livello di altre proprietà dei neuroni o di più complicati circuiti nervosi. Il problema è naturalmente ancora 1 The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (2002) by Steven Pinker, in which Pinker makes a case against tabula rasa models in the social sciences, arguing that human behavior is substantially shaped by evolutionary psychological adapta- tions. 9 più complesso quando la domanda concerne proprietà cerebrali che riguardano il comportamento umano. Per esempio molti autori si sono chiesti se la moralità o il senso di ciò che ci appare bello o brutto siano innati o acquisiti...2 Potrebbero dunque esistere tendenze o atteggiamenti pre- culturali “innati” comuni a tutta la specie umana? Potrebbero esserlo, ad esempio, molte forme di comunicazione non verbale, le espressioni linguistiche, l’appartenenza a un gruppo, la gerarchia, l’aggressività o l’altruismo, la divisione di ruoli tra maschi e femmine, la percezione del tempo? E’ ipotizzabile che alcuni aspetti delle culture si trasmettano attraverso mutazioni genetiche ereditarie? Il cervello funziona in modo diverso in ambienti culturali diversi e condiziona la percezione del mondo? Esistono automatismi che ne distorcono la percezione attraverso stereotipi consolidati? O in favore del proprio gruppo, rispetto a chi è “altro”? Si tratta di temi aperti e controversi, ma molto importanti per chi si occupa di diversità culturali e comportamenti umani, e vorrebbe favorire quei processi che possono aiutare la convivenza e la comprensione reciproca in società sempre più multiculturali. Il convegno è durato 3 giorni. Ogni sessione conteneva una serie di workshop o seminari in parallelo, della durata di due ore, a cura di esperti che hanno proposto brevemente un argomento di loro interesse e lo hanno discusso con i partecipanti al seminario. Il giorno successivo un breve video, contenuto nel DVD allegato, ha riassunto in plenaria i punti principali emersi dalla discussione. 2 alla pag. 73 del volume “La libertà di essere diversi”, ed. Il Mulino 2011 10 The conference A BLANK SLATE? Brain science and cultures Florence, April 4nd - 6th 2019 In the year 2002 when Steven Pinker published his “Tabula rasa”, he explained how, based on the physiological activity of the brain, a peculiar “trait” exclusive to the human species makes free choice possible. In that piece of work, Pinker faced “uncomfortable” issues such as the psychobiological differences between men and women or the genetic components governing violence, intelligence and inner sentiments. Referring back to historical-scientific data he tried to demonstrate that recognising Man’s identity as a result of biological evolution is not a socially dangerous hypothesis, but may even be the indispensable integration of the perceptions given to us, in the past, by art and philosophy. In 2011, Lamberto Maffei, a neuro-scientist at the Italian National Research Centre and at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, affirmed that: An interesting question for the neurobiologist is whether certain characteristics are already present at birth and therefore attributable to genes that are the underlying basis of a particular brain structure, or whether they are the result of experience …To disentangle the intricate skein that is the result of what is inborn and what is acquired is difficult even when looking at the properties of neurons or 11 more complicated nerve circuits. Naturally the problem is even more complex when we consider how the workings of the human mind affect human behaviour. For example, many writers have wondered whether morality or sensibility to what is considered beautiful or ugly is inborn or acquired. Could some pre-cultural tendencies or attitudes be an inborn trait common to all the human species? Could this indeed be the case, for example, in many non verbal forms of communication, in language expressions, in belonging to a group, in hierarchy, in aggression or altruism, in the division of male and female roles, in the perception of time? Is it conceivable that some aspects of culture could be transmitted through hereditary genetic mutations? Does the human brain work differently in different cultural environments and could it condition the perception of the world? Are there devices or contrivances that distort perception through consolidated stereotypes, or in favour of one’s own group, opposite to all others? These are controversial and important issues for those who deal with cultural diversity and human behaviour, and would like to encourage processes that help coexistence and mutual understanding in an increasingly multicultural society. The conference lasted 3 days. Themes were presented and discussed in two-hour, concurrent workshops. Short summaries of discussions were reported in plenary session the next day and are available in the DVD. 12 Programma / Programme GIOVEDÌ 4 APRILE 2019 / THURSDAY, APRIL 4TH 2019 15:00 - 18:00 Sessione di apertura / Opening session Palazzo Vecchio, Salone dei Cinquecento Benvenuto ai partecipanti / Welcome remarks: - Roberto Ruffino, Segretario Generale / Secretary general, Fondazione Intercultura - Franco Bernabé, Presidente / Chairman, Commissione Nazionale Italiana per l’UNESCO - Dario Nardella, Sindaco di Firenze / Mayor of Florence - Andrea Vannucci, Assessore alle politiche giovanili / Councilor for youth policies Sessione d’apertura: “Questioni sulla trasmissione della cultura”: Opening session: “Issues about the transfer of culture”: - The Blank Slate (video presentation) - Steven Pinker, Harvard University - Guardare, vedere, immagini nel tempo - Lamberto Maffei, Università di Pisa - Not by Genes Alone: How Culture transformed Human Evolution - Peter Richerson, University of California - Mind meets
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Myth, Metatext, Continuity and Cataclysm in Dc Comics’ Crisis on Infinite Earths
    WORLDS WILL LIVE, WORLDS WILL DIE: MYTH, METATEXT, CONTINUITY AND CATACLYSM IN DC COMICS’ CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS Adam C. Murdough A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS August 2006 Committee: Angela Nelson, Advisor Marilyn Motz Jeremy Wallach ii ABSTRACT Angela Nelson, Advisor In 1985-86, DC Comics launched an extensive campaign to revamp and revise its most important superhero characters for a new era. In many cases, this involved streamlining, retouching, or completely overhauling the characters’ fictional back-stories, while similarly renovating the shared fictional context in which their adventures take place, “the DC Universe.” To accomplish this act of revisionist history, DC resorted to a text-based performative gesture, Crisis on Infinite Earths. This thesis analyzes the impact of this singular text and the phenomena it inspired on the comic-book industry and the DC Comics fan community. The first chapter explains the nature and importance of the convention of “continuity” (i.e., intertextual diegetic storytelling, unfolding progressively over time) in superhero comics, identifying superhero fans’ attachment to continuity as a source of reading pleasure and cultural expressivity as the key factor informing the creation of the Crisis on Infinite Earths text. The second chapter consists of an eschatological reading of the text itself, in which it is argued that Crisis on Infinite Earths combines self-reflexive metafiction with the ideologically inflected symbolic language of apocalypse myth to provide DC Comics fans with a textual "rite of transition," to win their acceptance for DC’s mid-1980s project of self- rehistoricization and renewal.
    [Show full text]
  • Leaders and Heroes: Modern Day Archetypes Sophon Shadraconis Claremont Graduate University, [email protected]
    LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University Volume 3 | Issue 1 Article 15 2013 Leaders and Heroes: Modern Day Archetypes Sophon Shadraconis Claremont Graduate University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/lux Part of the Business Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Shadraconis, Sophon (2013) "Leaders and Heroes: Modern Day Archetypes," LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 15. Available at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/lux/vol3/iss1/15 Shadraconis: Leaders and Heroes: Modern Day Archetypes Shadraconis 1 Leaders and Heroes: Modern Day Archetypes Sophon Shadraconis Claremont Graduate University Abstract This paper explores the salience of archetypes through modern day idealization of leaders as heroes. The body of research in evolutionary psychology and ethology provide support for archetypal theory and the influence of archetypes (Hart & Brady, 2005; Maloney, 1999). Our idealized self is reflected in archetypes and it is possible that we draw on archetypal themes to compensate for a reduction in meaning in our modern day work life. Archetypal priming can touch a person’s true self and result in increased meaning in life. According to Faber and Mayer (2009), drawing from Jung (1968), an archetype is an, “internal mental model of a typical, generic story character to which an observer might resonate emotionally” (p. 307). Most contemporary researchers maintain that archetypal models are transmitted through culture rather than biology, as Jung originally argued (Faber & Mayer, 2009). Archetypes as mental models can be likened to image schemas, foundational mind/brain structures that are developed during human pre-verbal experience (Merchant, 2009).
    [Show full text]
  • The Pandemic Exposes Human Nature: 10 Evolutionary Insights PERSPECTIVE Benjamin M
    PERSPECTIVE The pandemic exposes human nature: 10 evolutionary insights PERSPECTIVE Benjamin M. Seitza,1, Athena Aktipisb, David M. Bussc, Joe Alcockd, Paul Bloome, Michele Gelfandf, Sam Harrisg, Debra Liebermanh, Barbara N. Horowitzi,j, Steven Pinkerk, David Sloan Wilsonl, and Martie G. Haseltona,1 Edited by Michael S. Gazzaniga, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, and approved September 16, 2020 (received for review June 9, 2020) Humans and viruses have been coevolving for millennia. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19) has been particularly successful in evading our evolved defenses. The outcome has been tragic—across the globe, millions have been sickened and hundreds of thousands have died. Moreover, the quarantine has radically changed the structure of our lives, with devastating social and economic consequences that are likely to unfold for years. An evolutionary per- spective can help us understand the progression and consequences of the pandemic. Here, a diverse group of scientists, with expertise from evolutionary medicine to cultural evolution, provide insights about the pandemic and its aftermath. At the most granular level, we consider how viruses might affect social behavior, and how quarantine, ironically, could make us susceptible to other maladies, due to a lack of microbial exposure. At the psychological level, we describe the ways in which the pandemic can affect mating behavior, cooperation (or the lack thereof), and gender norms, and how we can use disgust to better activate native “behavioral immunity” to combat disease spread. At the cultural level, we describe shifting cultural norms and how we might harness them to better combat disease and the negative social consequences of the pandemic.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Worldviews*
    RELIGIOUS WORLDVIEWS* SECULAR POLITICAL CHRISTIANITY ISLAM MARXISM HUMANISM CORRECTNESS Nietzsche/Rorty Sources Koran, Hadith Humanist Manifestos Marx/Engels/Lenin/Mao/ The Bible Foucault/Derrida, Frankfurt Sunnah I/II/ III Frankfurt School Subjects School Theism Theism Atheism Atheism Atheism THEOLOGY (Trinitarian) (Unitarian) PHILOSOPHY Correspondence/ Pragmatism/ Pluralism/ Faith/Reason Dialectical Materialism (truth) Faith/Reason Scientism Anti-Rationalism Moral Relativism Moral Absolutes Moral Absolutes Moral Relativism Proletariat Morality (foster victimhood & ETHICS (Individualism) (Collectivism) (Collectivism) (Collectivism) /Collectivism) Creationism Creationism Naturalism Naturalism Naturalism (Intelligence, Time, Matter, (Intelligence, Time Matter, ORIGIN SCIENCE (Time/Matter/Energy) (Time/Matter/Energy) (Time/Matter/Energy) Energy) Energy) 1 Mind/Body Dualism Monism/self-actualization Socially constructed self Monism/behaviorism Mind/Body Dualism (fallen) PSYCHOLOGY (non fallen) (tabula rasa) Monism (tabula rasa) (tabula rasa) Traditional Family/Church/ Polygamy/Mosque & Nontraditional Family/statist Destroy Family, church and Classless Society/ SOCIOLOGY State State utopia Constitution Anti-patriarchy utopia Critical legal studies Proletariat law Divine/natural law Shari’a Positive law LAW (Positive law) (Positive law) Justice, freedom, order Global Islamic Theocracy Global Statism Atomization and/or Global & POLITICS Sovereign Spheres Ummah Progressivism Anarchy/social democracy Stateless Interventionism & Dirigisme Stewardship
    [Show full text]
  • Heroic Individualism: the Hero As Author in Democratic Culture Alan I
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2006 Heroic individualism: the hero as author in democratic culture Alan I. Baily Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Baily, Alan I., "Heroic individualism: the hero as author in democratic culture" (2006). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1073. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1073 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. HEROIC INDIVIDUALISM: THE HERO AS AUTHOR IN DEMOCRATIC CULTURE A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Political Science by Alan I. Baily B.S., Texas A&M University—Commerce, 1999 M.A., Louisiana State University, 2003 December, 2006 It has been well said that the highest aim in education is analogous to the highest aim in mathematics, namely, to obtain not results but powers , not particular solutions but the means by which endless solutions may be wrought. He is the most effective educator who aims less at perfecting specific acquirements that at producing that mental condition which renders acquirements easy, and leads to their useful application; who does not seek to make his pupils moral by enjoining particular courses of action, but by bringing into activity the feelings and sympathies that must issue in noble action.
    [Show full text]
  • Epa 542-R-17-003
    Oce of Land and Emergency Management EPA 542-R-17-003 Brownf ields Road Map to Understanding Options for Site Investigation and Cleanup Sixth Edition Site Reuse Design and Implement the Cleanup Assess and Select Cleanup Options Investigate the Site Assess the Site Learn the Basics www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-roadmap [This page is intentonally left blank] Table of Contents Brownfields Road Map Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 Follow the Brownfields Road Map ...................................................................................... 6 Learn the Basics .................................................................................................................. 9 Assess the Site ................................................................................................................... 20 Investigate the Site ........................................................................................................... 26 Assess and Select Cleanup Options ................................................................................... 36 Design and Implement the Cleanup ................................................................................. 43 Spotlights 1 Innovations in Contracting ................................................................................... 18 2 Supporting Tribal Revitalization ........................................................................... 19
    [Show full text]
  • Black Heroes in the United States: the Representation of African Americans in Contemporary American Culture
    Università degli Studi di Padova Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Letterari Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Lingue Moderne per la Comunicazione e la Cooperazione Internazionale Classe LM-38 Tesi di Laurea Black Heroes in the United States: the Representation of African Americans in Contemporary American Culture Relatore Laureando Prof.ssa Anna Scacchi Enrico Pizzolato n° matr.1102543 / LMLCC Anno Accademico 2016 / 2017 - 1 - - 2 - Università degli Studi di Padova Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Letterari Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Lingue Moderne per la Comunicazione e la Cooperazione Internazionale Classe LM-38 Tesi di Laurea The Representation of Black Heroism in American Culture Relatore Laureando Prof.ssa Anna Scacchi Enrico Pizzolato n° matr.1102543 / LMLCC Anno Accademico 2016 / 2017 - 4 - Table of Contents: Preface Chapter One: The Western Victimization of African Americans during and after Slavery 1.1 – Visual Culture in Propaganda 1.2 - African Americans as Victims of the System of Slavery 1.3 - The Gift of Freedom 1.4 - The Influence of White Stereotypes on the Perception of Blacks 1.5 - Racial Discrimination in Criminal Justice 1.6 - Conclusion Chapter Two: Black Heroism in Modern American Cinema 2.1 – Representing Racial Agency Through Passive Characters 2.2 - Django Unchained: The Frontier Hero in Black Cinema 2.3 - Character Development in Django Unchained 2.4 - The White Savior Narrative in Hollywood's Cinema 2.5 - The Depiction of Black Agency in Hollywood's Cinema 2.6 - Conclusion Chapter Three: The Different Interpretations
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Philosophy
    UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION B.A. PHILOSOPHY CORE COURSE - (2019-Admn.) PHL1 B01-INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY 1. The total number of Vedas is . a) One b) Two c) Three d) Four 2. Philosophy is originally a word. a) English b) Latin c) Greek d) Spanish 3. Philosophy deals with of reality. a) a part b) the whole c) the illusion d) none of these 4. ‘Esthetikos’ is a word. a) Greek b) Latin c) French d) Spanish 5. Taoism belongs to the tradition. a) Japanese b) Oriental c) Occidental d) None of these 6. does not belong to Oriental tradition. a) India b) China c) Japan d) None of these 7. Vedic philosophy evolved in the order. a) Polytheism, Monism, Monotheism c) Polytheism, Monotheism, Monism b) Monotheism, Polytheism, monism d) Polytheism, Monism, Monotheism 8. is not a heterodox system. a) Samkhya b) Buddhism c) Lokayata d) Jainism 9. implies ‘accepting the authority of the Vedas’. a) Heterodox b) Orthodox c) Oriental d) Occidental 10. According to the law of karma, every karma leads to . a) Moksha b) Phala c) Dharma d) all these 11. The portion of Vedas that deals with rituals is known as . a) Mantras b) Brahmanas c) Aranyakas d) Upanishads 12. Polytheism implies as Monism refers to one. a) Two b) three c) many d) all these 13. Belief in one God is referred as . Introduction to Philosophy Page 1 a) Henotheism b) Monotheism c) Monism d) Polytheism 14. Samkhya propounded . a) Dualism b) Monism c) Monotheism d) Polytheism 15. is an Oriental system.
    [Show full text]
  • 23 0Ttobre 2020 Il Nuovo Presidente Nazionale È Ricevuto Dal Capo Di Stato
    Marina id’I talia “Una volta marinaio... marinaio per sempre” MENSILE DELL’ASSOCIAZIONE NAZIONALE MARINAI D’ITALIA Anno LXIV n. 10/11 • 2020 Ottobre/Novembre Poste Italiane S.p.A. Spedizione in Abbonamento Postale - D.L. 353/2003 (conv. in L. 27/02/2004 n° 46) art. 1 comma 1 - DCB Roma 23 0ttobre 2020 Il nuovo Presidente Nazionale è ricevuto dal Capo di Stato Maggiore della Marina Militare nel giorno del suo insediamento Editoriale del Presidente Nazionale Aeronavali, presso il 3° Reparto Pianificazione Generale dello Stato Maggiore della Marina. Dall ’ottobre 1999 all’ottobre 2000 ha comandato il Caccia - torpedi niere Francesco Mimbelli . Dall ’ottobre 2000 all ’agosto 2003 ha svolto l’incarico di Capo del 2° Ufficio del 4° Reparto dello Stato Maggiore della Marina, denominato successivamente 4° Reparto o assunto da pochi giorni il prestigioso incarico alla base della nostra Marina e gli obiettivi da consegui - “Supporto al Personale ” di Mariugp. di Presidente Nazionale della nostra Associa - re. Durante il mio periodo in servizio attivo è stata la mia Dal settembre 2003 all’ottobre 2006 presso l’Ufficio Im - H zione ed è la prima volta che, in tale veste, mi ri - stella polare e intendo seguirla anche nell’espletamen - piego Ufficiali di Mariugp ha svolto l’incarico di Capo del 2° volgo a tutti Voi. Desidero, a premessa, inviare un affet - to di questo nuovo incarico. Reparto . tuoso e sincero saluto ai Marinai e ai Soci, alle Patrones - Il primo inciso descrive proprio una delle caratteristiche Dal novembre 2006 al giugno 2009 ha svolto l’incarico di se e alle relative famiglie.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogenetic Signal in Phonotactics
    Phylogenetic signal in phonotactics Jayden L. Macklin-Cordes,1 Claire Bowern2 and Erich R. Round1,3,4 1 The University of Queensland | 2 Yale University | 3 University of Surrey | 4 Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Phylogenetic methods have broad potential in linguistics beyond tree infer- ence. Here, we show how a phylogenetic approach opens the possibility of gaining historical insights from entirely new kinds of linguistic data – in this instance, statistical phonotactics. We extract phonotactic data from 112 Pama-Nyungan vocabularies and apply tests for phylogenetic signal, quanti- fying the degree to which the data reflect phylogenetic history. We test three datasets: (1) binary variables recording the presence or absence of biphones (two-segment sequences) in a lexicon (2) frequencies of transitions between segments, and (3) frequencies of transitions between natural sound classes. Australian languages have been characterized as having a high degree of phonotactic homogeneity. Nevertheless, we detect phylogenetic signal in all datasets. Phylogenetic signal is greater in finer-grained frequency data than in binary data, and greatest in natural-class-based data. These results demonstrate the viability of employing a new source of readily extractable data in historical and comparative linguistics. Keywords: historical signal, phylogenetic comparative methods, historical linguistics, phonology, comparative linguistics, linguistic phylogenetics, Pama-Nyungan, Australian languages 1. Introduction A defining methodological
    [Show full text]
  • Studia Culturologica Series
    volume 22, autumn-winter 2005 studia culturologica series GEORGE GALE OSWALD SCHWEMMER DIETER MERSCH HELGE JORDHEIM JAN RADLER JEAN-MARC T~TAZ DIMITRI GINEV ROLAND BENEDIKTER Maison des Sciences de I'Homme et de la Societe George Gcrle LEIBNIZ, PETER THE GREAT, AND TIIE MOUERNIZAIION OF RUSSIA or Adventures of a Philosopher-King in the East Leibniz was the modern world's lirst Universal C'itizen. Ilespite being based in a backwater northern German principalit). Leibniz' scliolarly and diploniatic missions took liim - sometimes for extendud stays -- everywhere i~nportant:to Paris and Lotidon, to Berlin, to Vien~~nand Konie. And this in a time when travel \vas anything birt easy. Leibniz' intelluctual scope was ecli~ally\vide: his philosophic focus extended all the way ti-om Locke's England to Confi~cius'C'hina, even while his geopolitical interests encom- passed all tlie vast territory from Cairo to Moscow. In short, Leibniz' acti- vities, interests and attention were not in the least hounded by tlie narrow compass of his home base. Our interests, however, must be bounded: to this end, our concern in what follows will Iiniil itself to Leibniz' relations with tlie East, tlie lands beyond the Elbe, the Slavic lands. Not only are these relations topics of intrinsic interest, they have not received anywhere near tlie attention they deserve. Our focus will be the activities of Leibniz himself, the works of the living philosopher, diplomat, and statesman, as he carried them out in his own time. Althoi~ghLeibniz' heritage continues unto today in the form of a pl~ilosophicaltradition, exa~ninationoftliis aspect of Leibnizian influ- ence nli~stawait another day.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Draft Jury
    Freedom in Conflict On Kant’s Critique of Medical Reason Jonas Gerlings Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of History and Civilization of the European University Institute Florence, 24 February 2017. European University Institute Department of History and Civilization Freedom in Conflict On Kant’s Critique of Medical Reason Jonas Gerlings Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of History and Civilization of the European University Institute Examining Board Prof. Dr. Martin van Gelderen, EUI, Lichtenberg-Kolleg – The Göttingen Institute for Advanced Study (Supervisor) Dr. Dr. h.c. Hans Erich Bödeker, Lichtenberg-Kolleg – The Göttingen Institute for Advanced Study Prof. Stéphane Van Damme, European University Institute Senior Lecturer, Dr. Avi Lifschitz, UCL © Jonas Gerlings, 2016 No part of this thesis may be copied, reproduced or transmitted without prior permission of the author Researcher declaration to accompany the submission of written work Department of History and Civilization - Doctoral Programme I Jonas Gerlings certify that I am the author of the work Freedom in Conflict – Kant’s Critique of Medical Reason I have presented for examination for the Ph.D. at the European University Institute. I also certify that this is solely my own original work, other than where I have clearly indicated, in this declaration and in the thesis, that it is the work of others. I warrant that I have obtained all the permissions required for using any material from other copyrighted publications. I certify that this work complies with the Code of Ethics in Academic Research issued by the European University Institute (IUE 332/2/10 (CA 297).
    [Show full text]