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Cognition and Tool Use: The Blacksmith at Work | 
 enlarge | Authors: Charles M. Keller, Janet Dixon Keller
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $27.99
Buy New: $26.23
You Save: $1.76 (6%)
New (14) Used (4) from $26.23
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 1696910
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 220
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 0.7
ISBN: 0521056489
Dewey Decimal Number: 153
EAN: 9780521056489
ASIN: 0521056489
Publication Date: March 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW
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Product Description
Taking their inspiration from the ancient skill of blacksmithing, the authors of this book take a fresh look at the mental processes involved in the accomplishment of goals. They analyze the way people apply what they know in order to reach a particular end, whether it is material or conceptual, routine or novel. The authors, anthropologists Janet and Charles Keller, provide an account of human accomplishment based on a detailed study of contemporary blacksmiths. The cognitive realm of blacksmithing is of particular interest because it relies on visual imagery and physical virtuosity rather than verbal logic, the conventional yardstick of cognition.
Book Description
Anthropologists Janet and Charles Keller provide an account of human accomplishment based on ethnographic study. Blacksmithing--the transformation of glowing iron into artistic and utilitarian products--is the activity they chose to develop a study of situated learning. This domain, permeated by visual imagery and physical virtuosity rather than verbal logic, appears antithetical to the usual realms of cognitive study. For this reason, it provides a new entree to human thought and an empirical test for an anthropology of knowledge.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Anthropology is Good -- Undertsanding cognition is good. January 23, 2005
Gilmore gave this excellent book a 1 star rating because it was about anthropology, not blacksmithing. Duh.
This is a 5 star book about anthropology, and more generally, human cognition. It demonstrates that the traditional way we classify things -- by category (all hammers go together, all screwdrivers, all foods, all clothes), is misleading, because in real usage, categorization goes by function. So this hammer goes with that anvil. This bread goes with that meat and that mustard. Why? Because they are used together.
The book is filled with deep insights that come about through careful observation. Yes, the authors observed blacksmithing (hence the title), but this is a book about human cognition, not about blacksmithing.
It is most unfortunate that the book was given a low rating because it wasn't the topic the reviewer wanted it to be.
If you care about understanding people, this is a great book.
 Bah November 1, 2004
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an anthropology book and has nothing to do with hands on blacksmithing.
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