The First Idea

Library Bookwatch, Jan, 2005

The First Idea

Stanley I. Greenspan & Stuart G. Shanker

DaCapo Press

11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142

0738206806 $25.00 1-800-242-7737

How did symbols, language and information evolve from primates to modern humans? In The First Idea: How Symbols, Language, And Intelligence Evolved From Our Primate Ancestors To Modern Humans, collaborative co-authors Stanley I. Greenspan and Stuart G. Shanker move beyond the nature/nurture debate to provide a new theory of human development: that the critical step in symbol formation, language and thinking isn't genetic, but a learned capacity dependent on nurturing interactions and cultural practices passed down between generations. Evidence from their own research and collaborations with others provide the backbone of a fascinating discourse.