The ability to communicate through language is such a fundamental part of human existence that we often take it for granted, rarely considering how sophisticated the process is by which we understand and make ourselves understood. In The Extended Mind, acclaimed author Robert K. Logan examines the origin, emergence, and co-evolution of language, the human mind, and culture. Building on his previous study, The Sixth Language (2000) and making use of emergence theory, Logan seeks to explain how language emerged to deal with the complexity of hominid existence brought about by tool-making, control of fire, social intelligence, coordinated hunting and gathering, and mimetic communication. The resulting emergence of language, he argues, signifies a fundamental change in the functioning of the human mind - a shift from percept-based thought to concept-based thought. From the perspective of the Extended Mind model, Logan provides an alternative to and critique of Noam Chomsky's approach to the origin of language. He argues that language can be treated as an organism that evolved to be easily acquired, obviating the need for the hard-wiring of Chomsky's Language Acquisition Device. In addition Logan shows how, according to this model, culture itself can be treated as an organism that has evolved to be easily attained, revealing the universality of human culture as well as providing an insight as to how altruism might have originated. Bringing timely insights to a fascinating field of inquiry, The Extended Mind will be sure to find a wide readership.

罗伯特·洛根（Robert K.Logan，1939— ），加拿大物理学家、传播学家，是麦克卢汉思想圈子的核心成员、媒介环境学派第二代代表人物，从事跨学科研究，曾担任加拿大前总理皮埃尔·特鲁多的科学顾问。其著作范围横跨物理学、传播学、生物学、环境科学、语言学等。著有《字母表效应：拼音文字与西方文明》《第五语言：学会在计算机时代生存》《第六语言：学会在互联网时代生存》《心灵的延伸：语言、心灵和文化的滥觞》、《理解新媒介：延伸麦克卢汉》《被误读的麦克卢汉：如何矫正》《物理学的诗学》《什么是语言》《图书馆的未来》等。《第六语言》2000年获媒介环境学会苏珊·朗格奖。