Raymond Corbey: A philosophical thorn in the side of archaeologists and much moreGerrit L. Dusseldorp & Shumon T. HussainTowards an archaeology of an epistemologist’s epistemologyWil RoebroeksRaymond Corbey, the embedded philosopher sitting on the fence: making sense of a unique academic pursuitShumon T. HussainBetter divergent than aligning: An argument in favour of the ‘shaken-bookcase syndrome’ in archaeological theory-buildingAlex GeurdsWhy, throughout the universe, reason and ‘civilization’ are more the exception than the rulePouwel SlurinkPsychic plants: A critique on Helmut Plessner’s plant-animal boundaryNorbert PeetersChallenging the human-nonhuman boundary: biological and cultural diversityAnnette LanjouwEpistemology on Acid: Is Darwinism really such a dangerous idea?Angus MolHomo sapiens, the four elements and the AnthropoceneCorrie Bakels‘Intentions do not fossilize’ – Unpacking persistent but problematic domain-assumptions in Pleistocene lithic studiesShumon T. HussainHand Axes as Hyena JawsJan KolenBone hammers: Efficient but rareThijs van KolfschotenDiamonds are an early 20th century archaeologist’s best friend – On the interactions between diamond mining and Acheulean archaeologyGerrit L. DusseldorpOn Mousterian, Micoquian, and the origin of new Neanderthals in Western Europe ~70,000 years agoPhilip van PeerReligious sacrifice in the Ice Age? Ritual finger amputation and the Gravettian hand images with incomplete fingersMark Collard & Brea McCauleyThree for playing, three for straying and three for staying. Exploring the changing role of cats in Pleistocene and Holocene EuropeLuc AmkreutzRediscovering the archaeological terrainDimitri DeLoecker & Jan KolenLocating and analysing the Marginal in ArchaeologyJohn BintliffIs there a Western telos and is it in danger? A rationalist critique of some recent challenges to the social sciences and humanitiesJon AbbinkWhat Language Are We Speaking Here? Λογος in a Post-Humanist ClimateJoep LeerssenThis volume celebrates the academic life of prof. Raymond Corbey. It gathers contributions by diverse scholars and professionals from both science and society to engage with a range of key topics Raymond has grappled with at different stages of his capricious career. The volume not only provides an opinionated portrait of Raymond as an academic persona and sometimes controversial scholarly figure, unpacking key tropes of his intellectual journey such as “sitting on the fence” or the “embedded philosopher” and academic “jester”, it also illustrates the wide-ranging and inspirational nature of his work. As a “boundary-worker” seeking to re-negotiate the limits, opportunities and contributions of various disciplines, the volume reflects Raymond’s critical but always provocative engagement with issues such as theory-building, alien civilizations and cosmic evolution, nonhuman sentience, the politics of species, Darwinism, the Maussian gift, human nature, hand axes, the mark of the intentional, diamonds, the structure of the European Mousterian, the relation between cultural anthropology and archaeology, liminality and the marginal, ritual and religion, cats, primates, language, heritage and the many legacies of Western thinking and acting in the world. Taken together, these individual contributions showcase the immense scope – temporal, geographic and topical – that defines Raymond's unique scholarly venture which continues to animate many of his friends, colleagues and former students.The volume will be of interest for a broad readership in academia and beyond, and for the first time brings poignant essays from philosophy to archaeology into conversation, which comment on, continue, or critique the scholarship Raymond embodies. This scholarship defies the contemporary tendency of hyper-specialization, and sometimes scholasticism, and inspires us to transcend the self-erected boundaries of academic and public cathedrals in our thinking and acting alike.