An Anthropology of Puzzles: The Role of Puzzles in the Origins and Evolution of Mind and Culture

An Anthropology of Puzzles: The Role of Puzzles in the Origins and Evolution of Mind and Culture
ISBN-10
1350089869
ISBN-13
9781350089860
Category
Games & Activities
Pages
233
Language
English
Published
2018-12-13
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Author
Marcel Danesi

Description

An Anthropology of Puzzles argues that the human brain is a "puzzling organ" which allows humans to literally solve their own problems of existence through puzzle format. Noting the presence of puzzles everywhere in everyday life, Marcel Danesi looks at puzzles in society since the dawn of history, showing how their presence has guided large sections of human history, from discoveries in mathematics to disquisitions in philosophy. Danesi examines the cognitive processes that are involved in puzzle making and solving, and connects them to the actual physical manifestations of classic puzzles. Building on a concept of puzzles as based on Jungian archetypes, such as the river crossing image, the path metaphor, and the journey, Danesi suggests this could be one way to understand the public fascination with puzzles. As well as drawing on underlying mental archetypes, the act of solving puzzles also provides an outlet to move beyond biological evolution, and Danesi shows that puzzles could be the product of the same basic neural mechanism that produces language and culture. Finally, Danesi explores how understanding puzzles can be a new way of understanding our human culture.

Get the book

Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Search the book
eBay.com
eBay.com
Search the book

Other editions

Similar books

  • The Ethics of Poker
    The Ethics of Poker
    By Todd M. Furman

    ... deals made with a drunken person violate the informed consent rule and are immoral. how ... morally accountable for his action(s) if the action(s) 4.

  • Treading Through: 45 Years of Philippine Dance
    Treading Through: 45 Years of Philippine Dance
    By Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz

    That body is whole because it is a thinking ( Mabel Todd's ) and conceptualizing body . ... Both processes have to deal with the idea of beauty in dance ...

  • We the Gamers: How Games Teach Ethics and Civics
    We the Gamers: How Games Teach Ethics and Civics
    By Karen Schrier

    K. Schrier and D. Gibson (Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2010), pp. 239–261). 15. Becker, “Choosing and Using Games in the Classroom.” 16. For further information, see D. Simkins, “Assessing Video Games for Learning,” Learning, ...

  • Playing with Sound: A Theory of Interacting with Sound and Music in Video Games
    Playing with Sound: A Theory of Interacting with Sound and Music in Video Games
    By Karen Collins

    Leonardo Music Journal 14 : 97-104 . Gibbs , M. R. , K. Hew , and G. Wadley . 2004. Social Translucence of the Xbox Live Voice Channel . In Entertainment Computing , ed . M. Rauterberg . 377–385 . Berlin : Springer - Verlag Gibson ...

  • A Parent's Guide to Video Games: A Practical Guide to Selecting and Managing Home Video Games
    A Parent's Guide to Video Games: A Practical Guide to Selecting and Managing Home Video Games
    By Jason Rich

    Production Staff Lead Editor : J. L. France Copy Editors : Cover Design : Irene , Alphonse & Manfred Additional Concepts One on One Graphics Carolyn Porter Page Design : Cover Credits DuckTalesTM and © 1991 The Disney Company .

  • Really Clever Crosswords 2
    Really Clever Crosswords 2
    By David Levinson Wilk

    C rossword lovers will welcome this second volume of clever, challenging puzzles by David Levinson Wilk.

  • Crosswords
    Crosswords
    By David Levinson Wilk

    Fill the coffee cup, find a pencil, and grab a chair: it’s time to solve some crosswords! What a great way to take a break, relax, and give the brain a fun challenge, too.

  • Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond
    Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond
    By David G. Schwartz

    Levinson was a prominent member of the Detroit - area “ gambling fraternity . ” He collaborated with Samuel Garfield , a Midwest betting and gambling operator and friend of Moe Dalitz.26 Levinson's two brothers , Mike and Louis ...

  • The Hogwarts Library Collection: The Complete Harry Potter Hogwarts Library Books
    The Hogwarts Library Collection: The Complete Harry Potter Hogwarts Library Books
    By J.K. Rowling

    This collection includes the updated edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, with a new foreword from J.K. Rowling (writing as Newt Scamander) and six new beasts!

  • Bridge Strategy at Trick One
    Bridge Strategy at Trick One
    By Fred L. Karpin

    21445-1 Paperbound $ 2.50 THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF Oz , L. Frank Baum . America's finest children's book in facsimile of first edition with all Denslow illustrations in full color . The edition a child should have .