| "Imitation of similar beings": social mimesis as an argument in evolutionary theory around 1900. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20210109 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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The article analyzes imitation as both a fascinating and irritating phenomenon in "classical" evolutionary theory. Evolutionists situate imitation on the threshold between the natural and the socio-cultural, hence between the animal and the human. This intermediate position can be regarded as a symptom for the unresolved and maybe unresolvable problem of intentionality and teleology in nature. To elaborate this problem, I examine the ways in which imitation was conceived of by the German Africologist Wilhelm Bleek in his treatise On the Origin of Language and by Charles Darwin in The Descent of Man. Bleek and Darwin share a high esteem of imitation, which they see as the mainspring of human mental capacities, including language. But at the same time, imitation for them is the epitome of a low level of consciousness, embodied in the figures of the idiot, the savage, and the ape. Thus, the problem of similarity comes to the fore: similarity produced by imitation, but also being at the basis of every act of imitation. This problem is further evidenced with a side glance on Darwin's remarks about mimicry in The Origin of Species. The article closes with a literary reading of Franz Kafka's Report to an Academy, in which imitation and similarity represent survival strategies and motivate a strange shift from ape to man. |
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Authors:
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Stefan Willer |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Historical Article; Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: History and philosophy of the life sciences Volume: 31 ISSN: 0391-9714 ISO Abbreviation: Hist Philos Life Sci Publication Date: 2009 |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-03-08 Completed Date: 2010-07-08 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 8003052 Medline TA: Hist Philos Life Sci Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 201-13 Citation Subset: IM; Q |
Affiliation:
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Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung, Schützenstrasse 18, 10117 Berlin, Germany. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Behavior, Animal* Evolution* History, 19th Century History, 20th Century Hominidae Humans Imitative Behavior* Language Survival Vocalization, Animal |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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