The article aims at developing some aspects of the fruitful reflections contained in Carmine Di
Martino’s book Viventi umani e non umani. Tecnica, linguaggio e memoria (Milano 2017), especially
those concerning the nature and the origin of the human technique and language. The
specific purpose of the present paper is to discuss some possible theoretical developments of
those topics in connection with the latest discoveries in human evolution field and with the
most recent lines of research emerging in the epistemological debates concerning the structure
of the standard evolutionary theory. In particular, the article examines the proposal to rethink
the human evolution in the light of a multilevel and extended evolutionary synthesis, and of a
“tree thinking” and “mosaic” approach. A concluding section addresses a recurring crucial issue
in Di Martino’s book, concerning the relationship between philosophy and scientific theories.
The possible role of the philosophical practice is analyzed in order to avoid the superstitious attitude
that consists of thinking about scientific truths as something absolutely objective and independent
from the practical activities, techniques, and theoretical constructions, which constantly
put them into being.The article aims at developing some aspects of the fruitful reflections contained in Carmine Di
Martino’s book Viventi umani e non umani. Tecnica, linguaggio e memoria (Milano 2017), especially
those concerning the nature and the origin of the human technique and language. The
specific purpose of the present paper is to discuss some possible theoretical developments of
those topics in connection with the latest discoveries in human evolution field and with the
most recent lines of research emerging in the epistemological debates concerning the structure
of the standard evolutionary theory. In particular, the article examines the proposal to rethink
the human evolution in the light of a multilevel and extended evolutionary synthesis, and of a
“tree thinking” and “mosaic” approach. A concluding section addresses a recurring crucial issue
in Di Martino’s book, concerning the relationship between philosophy and scientific theories.
The possible role of the philosophical practice is analyzed in order to avoid the superstitious attitude
that consists of thinking about scientific truths as something absolutely objective and independent
from the practical activities, techniques, and theoretical constructions, which constantly
put them into being.
