The prehistory of material signification : tracing the nature and emergence of early body ornamentation through a pragmatic and enactive theory of cognitive semiotics
This thesis explores the nature and emergence of early body ornamentation, which has long been at the forefront of the debate on modern human origins. According to most prehistorians, ornamental shell beads are unequivocal proxies for behavioural and cognitive ~modernity~, for they are considered the arbitrary products of symbolically-capable brains. In my dissertation, I argue against the ~symbolic~ dictum of reducing material signification to linguistic terms, and attributing its creation to a representational mechanism. For one, the significative meaning of material culture is not entirely arbitrary, because concepts can be founded on physical properties and affordances. Moreover, material signification is not the epiphenomenal product of innate cognitive modules, for the mind is not a computational device that processes internal representations before externalising them through behaviour. I thus suggest that these theoretical fallacies about the nature and emergence of material signification can be overcome by combining a pragmatic semiotic approach with an enactive theory of cognition. Briefly put, a pragmatic semiotic theory describes the nature of material signification by recognising that significative
Iliopoulos, Antonios
Evolutionary archaeology ; Semiotic archaeology ; Cognitive archaeology ; Early body ornaments ; Symbolism ; Material Signification
The prehistory of material signification : tracing the nature and emergence of early body ornamentation through a pragmatic and enactive theory of cognitive semiotics. This thesis explores the nature and emergence of early body ornamentation, which has long been at the forefront of the debate on modern human origins. According to most prehistorians, ornamental shell beads are unequivocal proxies for behavioural and cognitive ~modernity~, for they are considered the arbitrary products of symbolically-capable brains. In my dissertation, I argue against the ~symbolic~ dictum of reducing material signification to linguistic terms, and attributing its creation to a representational mechanism. For one, the significative meaning of material culture is not entirely arbitrary, because concepts can be founded on physical properties and affordances. Moreover, material signification is not the epiphenomenal product of innate cognitive modules, for the mind is not a computational device that processes internal representations before externalising them through behaviour. I thus suggest that these theoretical fallacies about the nature and emergence of material signification can be overcome by combining a pragmatic semiotic approach with an enactive theory of cognition. Briefly put, a pragmatic semiotic theory describes the nature of material signification by recognising that significative
prehistory material signification tracing nature emergence early body pragmatic theory cognitive semiotics explores nature emergence early body long forefront debate modern_human origin according prehistorians ornamental shell bead unequivocal proxy behavioural cognitive modernity consider arbitrary product symbolically capable brain argue symbolic reduce material signification linguistic term attribute creation representational mechanism meaning material_culture entirely arbitrary concept found physical_property affordances moreover material signification product innate cognitive module mind computational device process internal_representation behaviour thus suggest theoretical fallacy nature emergence material signification overcome combine pragmatic semiotic theory cognition briefly put pragmatic semiotic theory describes nature material signification recognise