Communicating, 3rd Edition

2Communicative resources of humans and others

DOI: 10.4324/9781003391975-3

Communicating may indeed be fundamental to our social existence – but that still leaves an important question. How is it that we humans reach out to others beyond ourselves? And what resources are available to humans – and other animals too – for doing this remarkable feat?

At the most basic level, we should consider first the world into which we are born and from which we derive our basic resources. Life itself depends on processing external sources of energy and earthly living creatures turn the sun’s energy to use, either directly as with plants, or by processing it through ingested food. Plants regulate slowly developing growth processes. Animals use the energy ...