These two examples would indicate a feminine paradigm of oppression in the "gods" of American pop culture. I agree that much of the pop cultural paradigms are less than desirable. I think of that as the point of showing these female gods pursuing such lives as we see them in as the book g...

In the introduction they introduce the concept of theory of mind. “Much debate among philosophers and animal behaviorists over human uniqueness has centered on the question of whether any nonhuman animal is capable of developing anything like a real Theory of Mind (ToM)—that is to say, whether or no...

Introduction to Primates and Philosophers by Josiah Ober and Stephen Macedo I like introductions. They provide the first glimpse into the underlying assumptions that the book and its authors are going to make. They frame the house, so to speak. Often introductions don’t do that as clearly as this on...

The Buffalo Dream Man, and the amazing story of the first settlers in Virginia in 13000 BC, bringing their mammoth God which died after a few generations, show the sympathy Gaiman has for indigenous spirituality. OK. I haven't got to that bit yet so I will keep reading and see if my irritation lift...

The portrayal of the USA is as a place that has lost touch with the sacred. The ease with which the European invasion seemingly destroyed the indigenous frameworks of the New World led the invaders to worship their own technology as all-powerful. I agree that based on what I have read so far that t...

I think again, the idea this plays at is perhaps the way memes work. For example, viral emails that were popular a few years back were created by someone, but with the way there were constructed, they appealed to people in such a way that they were propagated and spread. I only use this comparison ...

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Verbatim (page 173-174) Descartes' Error the 2005 Penguin books version: “Consider again the scenarios I outlined. The key components unfold in our minds instantly, sketchily, and virtually simultaneously, too fast for the details to be clearly defined. But now, imagine that before you apply any kin...

In "Morally Evolved," Part I of Primates and Philosophers , de Waal cites Antonio Damasio. On page 38 of my edition, de Waal links his perception-action mechanism with Damasio’s somatic hypothesis of emotion (next post) (and with mirror neurons, about which I will post later.) I have been ...

Not yet having the book, I'm a little confused. Why is the word 'gods' used? Is this a generic simple usage to summarize what we entertain as our current ultimate concerns? Or is he referring in a way to an actual sentient or super sentient being or force? I'm about 20% into the book; I am starting...