IDEAS by Peter Watson

IDEAS

A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud

PETER WATSON

For Bebe

There are no whole truths;

All truths are half-truths.

It is trying to treat them as

Whole truths that plays the devil .

-ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD, DIALOGUES (1953)

While it may be hard to live with generalizations, it is inconceivable to live without them .

-PETER GAY, SCHNITZLER'S CENTURY (2002)

A DF Books NERDs Release

Contents

Author's Note

Introduction: The Most Important Ideas in History-Some Candidates

Prologue: The Discovery of Time

PART ONE: LUCY TO GILGAMESH

The Evolution of Imagination

1. Ideas Before Language

Scavenging-bipedalism and meat-eating-upright posture-the oldest artefacts-changes in brain size and hand-axes-fire-ochre-burial-Neanderthals-the first 'abstract' idea- Berekhet Ram-'the cultural explosion'-cave art-Venus figurines-'split houses'-sexual imagery-textiles-beads and ritual

2. The Emergence of Language and the Conquest of Cold