摘要：In Th e Symbolic Species (1997) Terrence Deacon identifi es human verbal language acquisition as the fi rst and foremost evolutionary threshold where symbol use happens, with all the concomitant adaptive advantages it aff ords, but along with these advantages in this book and elsewhere he alludes to certain disadvantages that result from symbols. To describe these disadvantages he uses words like maladaptation, parasitism, cognitive penumbra, and other hyperbolic terms. He does so offh andedly, either in connection with the results of some laboratory experiments, or simply in disconnected ominous generalizations, but never justifi es these sign eff ects within the dominantly Peircean model of language acquisition that gives the book its title. In later works Deacon attempts to contextualize these generalizations within Richard Dawkins’ theory of the meme. Deacon is sometimes disparaged for his supposedly imprecise or incorrect use of the sign theory of Charles Peirce to defend his claims about memes and symbols. Th e problem is not that Peirce should not be used in this way. In fact Deacon’s book is a singular achievement in the application of Peirce. Th e problem is that Deacon’s Peircean model is too simple. In fact Deacon’s claim about the possible disadvantages of symbol use can be reinforced with a closer look at the mature, turn-of-the-century Peircean sign model. Th is preserves the theoretical integrity of Th e Symbolic Species and clarifi es the relation between memes and signs.
其他摘要：В своей книге «Символический вид» (1997) Терренс Дикон уподобляет овладение вербальным языком первому и наиболее существенному эволюционному порогу, когда человек начинает использовать символы со всеми сопутствующими этому этапу адаптивными преимуществ
