Preface
FromitsbeginningsiGreece,theWesterraditionhashadadedividualistitation。Thisistruebothinphilosophy,espetheanalytictraditionoftheAnglophoneworld,assychologysihasanacademicdisthe19thtury。
Butthiophilosophy,animportantnewparadigmhasemergedifewdecadesthatattemptstocharacterizehumanshared(orcolletentionality。IialphilosopherssuSearle,MichaelBratman,ahaveuneofthemanywaysinwhiactivitiesthat,onthesurfadividualistirealityonlypossiblebecauseoftheunderlyingsocialrelationshipsandculturals,andinstitutionsthatsupportandstructurethem。The“deepstructure”ofuniquelyhumanpsychologyisessentiallysodcultural。
Inpsychology,thegeisbeinginstigatedbyevolutionaryapproalookiionofthehumanspeparisonwiththatofitserelatives,itisclearthatthemostimportantdifferencesderivefromhumans’uniqueformsofsoteraparticular,humaobemuedtoengageinvariouskindsofcooperation,iniqueformsofcooperativeuni。Thisenableshumangroupstocreateallkindsofthihatnoindividualcoulditsoliesmostobviouslytothingssuputersandskyscrapers,butitalsoappliestomorebasipetenciessuventionallinguistiunidindividualself-regulatioy’smoralnorms。
WhyWeCooperateisbasedouresdeliveredatStanfordUyihere-formulatedfeneralaudieinparisonwithotherprimatespesareinordinatelycooperative。Youobecooperativefromthebeginning,asocializatidoesohavemucheffect。Thisisnottosaythatadultsocializationisnotimportant-itis-butonlyforolder;itdoeseyoung’sgenerallycooperativeshowsupbothwheosometroubletohelpothersfulfilltheirgoals,andalsowhentheycollaboratewithooaongoals。Muchoftheresearchreviewedinthisbookillustratestheuniquewaysinwhisareadaptedforcooperation。
ANaturalHistoryofHumanThinkianacademitralclaimisthatuniquelyhumanformsofthionaprimatebase-greatapesdoihiosolveproblems-butthenitgoeswellbeyondthis。Whatehinkingtogobeyondgeneralprimatethinkingisitsincorporationofsocialprocesses。Itissoduwithothersthatenableshumansto,forexample,formperspectivalitiverepresentations(sothatthesameanimalmaybecalledeitheradogorapet)andtothinkaboutthinkingrecursively。Ahatgovernhumanreasoningprople,nottotradieselfdireormsthatthesocietyasawholeand,inesseistoberatioure。Themetaphorusedtoopenthebookisthathumanthinkingislikeajazzmusiimprovisiuneiisindividualactivity,ofcourse,butitismadepossiblebyaculturalhistoryofjazzmusicthathascreatedtheihebasis,andtheaudiestitutethisparticularwayofmakingmusic。
IamfromwhatIreadincross-culturalpsychology,aAsiantriesaremuchmore“collectivist”culturesthanthoseinwhichIhavegrownupahuspossiblethatmahingsIargueforisareobvioustoesereaders。Butobviousornot,IuefortheiradIhopetheydoprovidesomemeasureofinsightintothebasicproansoteradthinking,evenforreaderswhoarealreadysteepediwaysofthinkingandag。
Miasello
2016。7。7