ABSTRACT
We have seen in earlier chapters of this book that sixteenth-and seventeenthcentury philosophical and scientific developments were responsible for engendering a conception of knowledge as a representation of the world, and one of mind as being distinct from matter. These views have been singularly influential in the modern world, and have had a critical role in the development of archaeology. This is increasingly the case at present, when evolutionary psychology and computer-based approaches to the perception of past landscapes (Virtual Reality Modelling (VRM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) ) are enjoying growing popularity within the discipline. In this chapter I will seek to demonstrate that these perspectives embody a blend of Cartesian and empiricist views of mental functioning, and that this inhibits our understanding of the past in serious ways.
