The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall, 2012
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The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall, 2012
Humans live in landscapes of make-believe. We spin fantasies. We devour novels, films, and plays. Even sporting events and criminal trials unfold as narratives. Yet the world of story has long remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. It’s easy to say that humans are “wired” for story, but why?
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The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall, 2012
Humans live in landscapes of make-believe. We spin fantasies. We devour novels, films, and plays. Even sporting events and criminal trials unfold as narratives. Yet the world of story has long remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. It’s easy to say that humans are “wired” for story, but why?
What is the storytelling animal?
"Only humans tell stories. Story sets us apart. For humans, story is like gravity: a field of force that surrounds us and influences all of our movements. But, like gravity, story is so omnipresent that we are hardly aware of how it shapes our lives. I wanted to know what science could tell us about humanity's strange, ardent love affair with story."
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What is the storytelling animal?
"Only humans tell stories. Story sets us apart. For humans, story is like gravity: a field of force that surrounds us and influences all of our movements. But, like gravity, story is so omnipresent that we are hardly aware of how it shapes our lives. I wanted to know what science could tell us about humanity's strange, ardent love affair with story."
That's a good recommendation, thanks!
Related to this topic, this book is also highly recommended:
“Symbol Theory” by Norbert Elias.
Symbol theory proposes an empirical interdisciplinary science that combines insights from evolutionary biology with those from #linguistics and the #sociology of human knowledge development. Elias highlights the special significance of the social use of symbols as a means of communication and orientation.
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T tanyakaroli@expressional.social shared this topic on
