The limbic system and culture

Human Nature 2 (2):117-136 (1991)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

The human ability to live according to learned, shared rules of behavior requires cortical functions. Is the limbic system also necessary for culture or are its functions opposed to it, requiring cortical inhibition? The sizes of monkey and ape neocortical and major limbic structures scale with brain weight, but the neocortex expands more (has a steeper exponent) than limbic structures. As the human brain evolved it did not deviate from the scaling relationships found in nonhuman anthropoids. This evidence for conservation in scaling supports the idea that limbic functions are necessary for human symbolism and culture

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

What does the limbic memory circuit actually do?Michael Gabriel & David M. Smith - 1999 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 22 (3):451-451.
Hippocampus, space, and memory.David S. Olton, James T. Becker & Gail E. Handelmann - 1979 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 2 (3):313-322.

Analytics

Added to PP
2013-11-24

Downloads
16 (#774,541)

6 months
1 (#1,040,386)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

Why do we want to talk?Katerina Semendeferi - 2018 - Interaction Studies. Social Behaviour and Communication in Biological and Artificial Systemsinteraction Studies / Social Behaviour and Communication in Biological and Artificial Systemsinteraction Studies 19 (1-2):102-120.
The Darwinian roots of human neurosis.Daniel R. Wilson - 1994 - Acta Biotheoretica 42 (1):49-62.

Add more citations