People are STRANGE

Philosophical preoccupation with the hard problem of self-consciousness often takes human becoming for granted. In archaeology, the opposite is the norm. The emphasis is on when and how we became human while the problem of self (how did the ability to think about one’s own self come about?) is largely neglected. I suggest that those two aspects of human becoming cannot be meaningfully disentangled: humans are both persons and members of a species. I argue that people are STRANGE. I use the acronym STRANGE to describe the Situated, TRANsactional and GEnerative process by which the human species (nature) and the human self (culture) become co-constituted in the lived space of material engagement. I propose that to study this middle space of self[1]becoming a synergy of enactive and situated perspectives from philosophy and archaeology is needed. In my talk, drawing on material engagement theory, I will sketch out my vision of what this synergy entails.

Speaker

Visiting CUE/ISA - Lambros Malafouris

University of Oxford, UK

Visit Prof. Malafouris' web page

PhD students and researchers who are interested may request an attendance certificate by writing to segreteria.isa@unibo.it specifying their birthplace and date of birth.

The delivery of the attendance certificate requires the attendance of at least 70% of the lecture.