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ChapterOne
HumanBeings:NaturalisticPerspectives
“...modernhumanbeings[are]qualitativelydifferentfromeveryotherinhabitantofthe
planet.Readilyasweperceiveallthemanifoldsimilaritiesamongusandourliving
primaterelatives,weequallyreadilyrecognizethatweareseparatedevenfromthe
closestofthembyasignificant(if,inthewiderschemeofthings,narrow)cognitive
gulf.Yetourknowledgenotonlyofourbiologicalhistorybutofourbroaderzoological
contextsmakesitclearthatwearedescendedfromremoteancestorsthatverybroadly
resembledchimpanzeesandothergreatapesinthewaysinwhichtheyperceivedand
interactedwiththeworldaroundthem.”
I.Tattersall[1]
“Itisnotdifficulttoimagineahomininpredecessorpossessingmanyofthedefining
qualities[ofpersons]:aHomohabilisperhaps,oraHomoerectus,oranearly
contemporary,Homoneanderthalensis.Thesecouldincludeindividuality,fidelity,and
affectionforalifepartnerandforsiblingsaswellasthepossessionofpersonalskills
(e.g.,afacilityintool-making)aswellascommunicativeskillsofthekindseen
inotherspecies(e.g.,dolphinsorbonobos).Thesewouldclearlybesocialanimals,
thosewhoshareaspecificmaterialcultureandmightpossessspecialskills,suchasthe
useoffire.Whilelackingdevelopedsyntacticlanguageskills,theywouldprobably
becapableofansweringtoavocalnameandofassigningsuchnamestoconspecifics.”
C.Renfrew[2]
“Discoveringwhatcognitivebarriersholdbackourclosestrelatives–especiallythe
unusualandlittle-studiedbonobo–fromacquiringasimplelanguageisthegreatest
challengetocomparativeandevolutionarypsychology.”
R.Byrne[3]
Orientations
Bywayoforientation,Ibeginbyassemblingseveralempirical
remindersofwhathumanbeingsandpersonsare.[4]Thesereminders
willbetterenableusinthefollowingchapterstoinquireintowho
personsare.Theywillalsohelpuslaterinarguingthatpersonsare
tobefundamentallycomprehendedintermsoftheirinseparablebut
independentmetaphysicalnatureasessentiallyrelationalentities.[5]
Theleadquestioninthisfirstchapterthenisjusthowwemay
