Becoming Human, Michael Tomasello
Becoming Human, Michael Tomasello
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Becoming Human
A Theory of Ontogeny

Author: Michael Tomasello

Narrator: Charles Constant

Unabridged: 12 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/18/2018


Synopsis

A radical reconsideration of how we develop the qualities that make us human, based on decades of cutting-edge experimental work by the former director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Virtually all theories of how humans have become such a distinctive species focus on evolution. Here, Michael Tomasello proposes a complementary theory of human uniqueness, focused on development. Building on the seminal ideas of Vygotsky, his data-driven model explains how those things that make us most human are constructed during the first years of a child's life.

Tomasello assembles nearly three decades of experimental work with chimpanzees, bonobos, and human children to propose a new framework for psychological growth between birth and seven years of age. He identifies eight pathways that starkly differentiate humans from their closest primate relatives: social cognition, communication, cultural learning, cooperative thinking, collaboration, prosociality, social norms, and moral identity.

Becoming Human places human sociocultural activity within the framework of modern evolutionary theory, and shows how biology creates the conditions under which culture does its work.

About Michael Tomasello

Michael Tomasello is Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. From 1998 to 2018 he was co-director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and in 2017 he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His scientific work has been recognized by institutions around the world, including the Guggenheim Foundation, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Netherlands, and the German National Academy of Sciences.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sharif on February 14, 2020

More than a thought-provoking read, it is a heart-provoking read which challenges society's definition of "success" by offering a different paradigm: belonging in brokenness in communion with others through mutual vulnerability and openness, sharing our weaknesses and calling forth what is beautiful......more

Goodreads review by Alex on March 14, 2021

When I told one of my classmates (who had worked at L'Arche) a few years back that I wanted to read "Becoming Human," he told me that this book could awaken spirituality in the non-Christian but seem a bit shallow for the Christian who expects their faith to be put forward more explicitly. This is a......more

Goodreads review by Gina on February 23, 2020

A beautiful explanation of the worldview that has motivated Vanier's remarkably generous and giving life. He is a Christian, and his faith encapsulates all the most lovely and wonderful aspects. It is a beautiful, connected way to go through life, and Vanier is a convincing messenger. UPDATE: Ok, thi......more

Goodreads review by Alexander on March 08, 2020

It is challenging to know what to say about this book today. My girlfriend and I read it together over the course of a few months, and shortly after we finished reading it, the report on Vanier's past misdeeds was published. It's hard to know how much that should affect how his works should be viewe......more

Goodreads review by Renee on November 26, 2019

One of those books that makes you think ! The concept of loneliness, in this day an age, isn't a foreign one. We are more connected then ever via media, but strongly lacking in real life connection. We are starving for real connection. How much more can individual with disability, can suffer the pai......more