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The Importance of Theory for Reconstructing the Evolution of Language and Intelligence in Hominids

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Advanced Views in Primate Biology

Part of the book series: Proceedings in Life Sciences ((LIFE SCIENCES))

Abstract

Although we anthropologists are academically licensed mythologists charged with explaining how “the man got his skin,” etc., our stories tend to suffer in plausibility from an absence of theory. In this paper we argue for the importance of theory for reconstructing the evolutionary history and adaptive significance of intelligence and language in our family.

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© 1982 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Parker, S.T., Gibson, K.R. (1982). The Importance of Theory for Reconstructing the Evolution of Language and Intelligence in Hominids. In: Chiarelli, A.B., Corruccini, R.S. (eds) Advanced Views in Primate Biology. Proceedings in Life Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68300-8_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68300-8_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-68302-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-68300-8

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