1st Edition

A Philosophy of Material Culture Action, Function, and Mind

By Beth Preston Copyright 2013
264 Pages
by Routledge

264 Pages
by Routledge

264 Pages
by Routledge

This book focuses on material culture as a subject of philosophical inquiry and promotes the philosophical study of material culture by articulating some of the central and difficult issues raised by this topic and providing innovative solutions to them, most notably an account of improvised action and a non-intentionalist account of function in material culture. Preston argues that material... Read more

Introduction  Part 1: Action in Material Culture  1. The Centralized Control Model  2. Taking Improvisation Seriously  3. Coming to Terms with Collaboration  4. How to Improvise  Part 2: Function in Material Culture  5. Proper Function and System Function 6. The Use and Abuse of Intention  7. Reproduction and Innovation.  Conclusion

Biography

Beth Preston is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Georgia, USA.

"[...] a good book for archaeologists and anthropologists interested in theory [...and] for the philosophers of technology and the theory of action." --Barry Allen, McMaster University for Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews