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Humans: Perspectives on Our Evolution from World Experts
How did humanity evolve? And what does our evolutionary history tell us about what it means to be human? These questions are fundamental to our identity as individuals and as a species and to our relationship with the world. But there are almost as many answers to them as there are scientists who study these topics.
This book brings together more than one hundred top experts, who share their insights on the study of human evolution and what it means for understanding our past, present, and future. Sergio Almécija asks leading figures across paleontology, primatology, archaeology, genetics, and many other disciplines about their lives, their work, and the philosophical significance of human evolution. They reflect on questions that are both fun and What set you down your career path? Are humans special? Where and when would you travel in a time machine? Does human evolution offer lessons for society? Is evolution compatible with spirituality and religion?
Humans features a remarkably accomplished cast of contributors, including Kay Behrensmeyer, Frans de Waal, Nina Jablonski, Richard Leakey, Robert Sapolsky, and Richard Wrangham. Together, they provide a refreshing, personable, engaging, cross-disciplinary, and thought-provoking exploration of different—even diametrically opposed—ideas about our nature and evolution, what makes humans unique, and what our future might hold. This book also offers practical suggestions for readers seeking to embark on a scientific career.
This book brings together more than one hundred top experts, who share their insights on the study of human evolution and what it means for understanding our past, present, and future. Sergio Almécija asks leading figures across paleontology, primatology, archaeology, genetics, and many other disciplines about their lives, their work, and the philosophical significance of human evolution. They reflect on questions that are both fun and What set you down your career path? Are humans special? Where and when would you travel in a time machine? Does human evolution offer lessons for society? Is evolution compatible with spirituality and religion?
Humans features a remarkably accomplished cast of contributors, including Kay Behrensmeyer, Frans de Waal, Nina Jablonski, Richard Leakey, Robert Sapolsky, and Richard Wrangham. Together, they provide a refreshing, personable, engaging, cross-disciplinary, and thought-provoking exploration of different—even diametrically opposed—ideas about our nature and evolution, what makes humans unique, and what our future might hold. This book also offers practical suggestions for readers seeking to embark on a scientific career.
719 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 23, 2023
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August 30, 2023
This volume is a series of a lot (100+) of short pieces, mostly from evolutionary anthropologists, responding to a set of prompts from the editor. The prompts ask them about what brought them to the field, what they feel the drivers of human evolution are, what surprises them about the field, what they would like to see with a Time Machine, and so on- not everyone answers every question. Some of the prompts aren’t great: when asked about people who inspired them, many of the respondents just answer with a name sans explanation.
The benefit of the volume to a non-anthropologist comes from how it elucidates the current controversies in the field (arguments about why our ancestors came out of the trees, and how we started using our hands to hold things come up a lot!), and the findings in the past that drove today’s researchers.
The volume is weakest when it brings in non-specialists: the futurist talking rhapsodically about how Elon Musk is the one modern person who will be remembered in a thousand years was especially jarring. It’s also a bit of a bummer throughout: there are a lot of very educated, thoughtful people talking about how climate change is definitely going to lead to our extinction. So that’s fun.
Not the best book to read cover to cover, but the introduction says not to read it that way, so it might be on me. A little repetitive, a little dour, but some interest to be had.
The benefit of the volume to a non-anthropologist comes from how it elucidates the current controversies in the field (arguments about why our ancestors came out of the trees, and how we started using our hands to hold things come up a lot!), and the findings in the past that drove today’s researchers.
The volume is weakest when it brings in non-specialists: the futurist talking rhapsodically about how Elon Musk is the one modern person who will be remembered in a thousand years was especially jarring. It’s also a bit of a bummer throughout: there are a lot of very educated, thoughtful people talking about how climate change is definitely going to lead to our extinction. So that’s fun.
Not the best book to read cover to cover, but the introduction says not to read it that way, so it might be on me. A little repetitive, a little dour, but some interest to be had.
Displaying 1 of 1 review