Origins Reconsidered

Richard Leakey is the famous anthropologist who, back in 1984, discovered the no less famous 'Turkana Boy'; a nearly complete skeleton of a young Homo erectus having lived about 1.5 millions years ago. Using this fossil as a starting point, Richard Leakey delivers here a fascinating book of popular science, opening up a window upon palaeontology -its successes, its meanderings, its challenges. Himself coming from a prestigious family of palaeontologists (he is the son of Louis and Mary Leakey), in love with his job (of which he gives us to see, not without a certain sense of humour, both the highs and the lows) by focusing first on 'Turkana Boy' he goes back in fact to the roots of what make us human.

Homo erectus was indeed a turning show more point in our evolution, 'the messenger carrying our humanity'. As he puts it: ''to understand the origins of mankind, one has to understand Homo erectus, its anatomy, biology, behaviours.' That's precisely, then, what he purports to do in here, using the remains of 'Turkana Boy' to gather hypotheses from its way of life to its cognitive and intellectual abilities. You bet, the open and contradictory interpretations, the controversies coming with such endeavour (genetics vs anthropology...) are obviously tumultuous! Having said that, once consensus have been reached the questions being raised turn out to be crucial so as to better understand who we are. Homo erectus might have been an hominid for sure; however, he wasn't human. Chapters about consciousness, culture and language are here deeply engrossing. They, above all, open new trails that may never cease to astonish us when it comes to find out what, exactly, distinguish us from these other hominids now extinct, or, nowadays, our cousins the other great apes.

Fascinating and informative, Richard Leakey tames here the quarrels between experts knowing full well that, nevertheless, we ought to stay humble enough to admit to our own past mistakes and the extend of our current ignorance. A very good read! show less

During the early days of my re-discovery of books, I became quite interested in human origins. I fondly remember this one by Richard Leakey. Very well-written.

I picked this book up at used bookstore on trade in. I once saw Leakey's father at a lecture with my father.

Overzicht van de recentste bevindingen van de paleontologie, waarbij hij ruim put uit eigen ervaringen. Schets van de vele vragen die nog overblijven. Het slot trekt verregaande conclusies, ondermeer in verband met de ecologische ramp die ons staat te wachten.