Narrative Persuasion. A Cognitive Perspective on Language Evolution

The book "Narrative Persuasion: A Cognitive Perspective on Language Evolution" offers an in-depth examination of the evolutionary and cognitive foundations of human communication, focusing on the narrative dimension. It establishes a framework that highlights the continuity between the communication of our hominin ancestors and that of non-human animals. The central thesis of the book is that both human and animal communication possess an intrinsically persuasive nature. Furthermore, it posits the hypothesis that humans have developed narrative forms of communication to enhance their persuasive abilities. This narrative persuasive power is considered the characteristic that distinguishes human communication from animal communication. The book addresses the transitions from animal communication to language and analyzes the selective pressure factors that influenced this development, as well as the cognitive structures that enabled our ancestors to cope with the challenges of persuasive and narrative communication.