What is a human being?
This question has long been a major theme of the humanities. However,
new light can be shed on this old question by addressing it within the
natural sciences. The aim of this COE project is an integrative
cross-disciplinary study of the human mind and human language, a study
which is expected to provide a central part of the answer to this
question. The areas covered will include cognitive science,
linguistics, evolutionary anthropology, evolutionary psychology,
genetics, pediatrics, and information science. Taking "universality and
variety/idiosyncrasy" as a key unifying concept, the project will try
to develop a thorough understanding of the mechanisms, functions,
development, and evolution of the human mind and human language, with
an ultimate goal of developing a new integrative science of the human
being. Our project is expected to bring to light the underlying mental
mechanisms as well as the biological basis of human language, altruism,
aggression and the ability to understand others. By making the results
of the research available to the general public, the project will
contribute to the furthering of human understanding in our current age
of globalization. As a cornerstone of establishing this new integrative
science, we will also educate a new generation of scientists through
foreign exchanges and interdisciplinary interaction, cultivating their
ability to view scientific issues broadly from a variety of
perspectives.
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