Exploring the intersection of poetry and cognitive science, Dubreuil argues that poetry is essential for preventing the human mind from becoming overly mechanical. He highlights how poetry engages the mind with complex cognitive challenges that are crucial for mental vitality. Through insightful readings, Dubreuil demonstrates the profound impact of attentive poetry on the brain, emphasizing its role in fostering intellectual engagement and preventing cognitive decline.
Dubreuil provocatively proposes an extremist rethinking of the limits of
politics - toward a break from politics, the political and policies. He calls
for a refusal of politics, suggesting a form of apolitics that would make our
lives more liveable.
A primatologist and a humanist together explore the meaning of being a "human animal" Humanness is typically defined by our capacity for language and abstract thinking. Yet decades of research led by the primatologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh has shown that chimpanzees and bonobos can acquire human language through signing and technology. Drawing on this research, Dialogues of the Human Ape brings Savage-Rumbaugh into conversation with the philosopher Laurent Dubreuil to explore the theoretical and practical dimensions of what being a "human animal" means. In their use of dialogue as the primary mode of philosophical and scientific inquiry, the authors transcend the rigidity of scientific and humanist discourses, offering a powerful model for the dissemination of speculative hypotheses and open-ended debates grounded in scientific research. Arguing that being human is an epigenetically driven process rather than a fixed characteristic rooted in genetics or culture, this book suggests that while humanness may not be possible in every species, it can emerge in certain supposedly nonhuman species. Moving beyond irrational critiques of ape consciousness that are motivated by arrogant, anthropocentric views, Dialogues on the Human Ape instead takes seriously the continuities between the ape mind and the human mind, addressing why language matters to consciousness, free will, and the formation of the "human animal" self.
