This volume is a collection of texts authored by an international team of linguistic scholars who provide their response to the concept of 21st century holism in language studies. The expertise of its contributors is reflected in the thematic scope of the book; it discusses topics such as the concept of harmony in interpersonal communication, semiotic and cultural phenomena handled by discourse analysis, selected aspects of religious discourse, and the study of proverbs or educational processes, to name but a few.
21st century holism embraces a solid theoretical base in post-Newtonian physics (quantum theory in particular), and departs from materialistic and atomistic perspectives based on Darwinism or cognitivism, however tempted we may be to allow the inertia of these in Western science and culture. Once a scholar decides to shift their paradigmatic perspective, thinking style, and research methodology, they start to co-build a collective mental representation herein referred to as ‘the culture of consciousness’.
