Two interesting reads this morning.
Dan Dennett conversation in The Edge, on the co-evolution of culture with human individual mental capabilities. “De-Darwinizing” the presumed processes to recognise the chicken-and-egg of co-creativity.
Also today in Best Thinking is Alan Rayner’s piece “What Stops the Penny Dropping“, born of the frustration with “Abstract Mindedness” where we assume our reason is a thing apart from the world in which we (fail to) engage.
The common theme is receptivity as part of co-creativity.
[BTW still reading Terry Eagleton‘s “Culture and the Death of God”, reminded of course by Dennett’s cultural references. A slow read thanks to dense references and technical language, but still enjoying. Another case of if I had started taking detailed notes when I began reading, I’d have more notes than original text, but as it is I will have to read again if I am to have more than a few specific recollections. Good though.]
[Also this morning a plug from Amazon for Michael Tomasello’s A Natural History of Human Thinking – can’t help thinking reading the book description blurb – tell us something we don’t know?]