The Language of Life: How Communication Drives Human Evolution [Paperback]

Communication in its most basic form-the sending of signals and exchange of messages within and between organisms-is the heart of evolution. From the earliest life-forms to Homo sapiens, the great chain of communication drives the evolutionary process and is the indispensable component of human culture. That is the central message of this unique perspective on both the biological evolution of life and the human development of culture. The book explores the totality of communication processes that create and sustain biological equilibrium and social stability. The authors argue that this ubiquitous connectivity is the elemental unity of life. Introducing a new subdiscipline-evolutionary communication-the authors analyze the core domains of life-sheer survival, sex, culture, morality, religion, and technological change-as communications phenomena. What emerges from their analysis is a brilliant interpretation of life interconnected through communication from the basic molecular level to the most sophisticated manifestations of culture. Challenging the boundaries of conventional approaches to cultural analysis, this is an original and engaging view of evolution and an encouraging prognosis for our collective future. Charles Darwin lives on in James Lull and Eduardo Neiva's lively book. . . . Their clear, direct, and personable narratives explain how transmissions surrounding senders and receivers become signs and symbols as humans evolve through the ‘great chain of communication.' . . . A fascinating, wide-ranging tour de force.”-Kevin G. Barnhurst, PhD, professor, Department of Communication, University of Illinois–Chicago“In this profoundly original work, Lull and Neiva introduce a new way of seeing both communication and evolution. . . . Their innovative exploration of how communication contributes to the evolutionary progress of organisms and culture provides a rallying cry for all who build on the brilliant tradition of nineteenth-century lS,