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A Different Kind of Animal
How Culture Transformed Our Species
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Ideal for readers interested in anthropology, cultural evolution, and the interplay between biology and society. Academics and general readers curious about the roots of human cooperation and cultural transmission will find this book insightful.
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See moreHow our ability to learn from each other has been the essential ingredient to our remarkable success as a speciesHuman beings have evolved to become the most dominant species on Earth. This astonishing transformation is usually explained in terms of cognitive ability-people are just smarter than all the rest. But Robert Boyd argues that culture
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Description
How our ability to learn from each other has been the essential ingredient to our remarkable success as a species
Human beings have evolved to become the most dominant species on Earth. This astonishing transformation is usually explained in terms of cognitive ability—people are just smarter than all the rest. However, Robert Boyd argues that culture—our ability to learn from each other—has been the essential ingredient of our remarkable success. He illustrates how a unique combination of cultural adaptation and large-scale cooperation has transformed our species and assured our survival, making us the different kind of animal we are today.
Based on the Tanner Lectures delivered at Princeton University, A Different Kind of Animal features challenging responses by biologist H. Allen Orr, philosopher Kim Sterelny, economist Paul Seabright, and evolutionary anthropologist Ruth Mace, as well as an introduction by Stephen Macedo.
Series: The University Center for Human Values Series
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A Different Kind of Animal
How our ability to learn from each other has been the essential ingredient to our remarkable success as a species. Human beings are a very different kind of animal. We have evolved to become the most dominant species on Earth. We have a larger geographical range and process more energy than any other creature alive. This astonishing transformation is usually...HardbackSold Out -
A Different Kind of Animal
How our ability to learn from each other has been the essential ingredient to our remarkable success as a species Human beings have evolved to become the most dominant species on Earth. This astonishing transformation is usually explained in terms of cognitive ability—people are just smarter than all the rest. However, Robert Boyd argues that culture—our ability to learn from...PaperbackSold Out
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Barbara Kiser of Nature praises the book as a lucid and well-argued treatise, highlighting humanity as "culture-saturated creatures" whose culturally transmitted knowledge explains our complex behaviours. Cosmos describes it as a fascinating and approachable revival of cultural autonomy, offering a fresh perspective beyond evolutionary psychology. Publishers Weekly calls it thought-provoking.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780691195902
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 19 November 2019
Country: United States
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Illustration: 26 b/w illus. 1 table.
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 140.0mm
Height: 216.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 248
About the Author
Robert Boyd is Origins Professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. His books include How Humans Evolved, Not by Genes Alone: How Culture Transformed Human Evolution, and The Origin and Evolution of Cultures.
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