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The Stone of Age Present by William F Allman
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The Stone of Age Present (original 1994; edition 1995)

by William F Allman

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Have you ever wandered why men don't ask for directions? Why we react with anger to infidelity? Why we love music and art? Why war and racism still thrive in our most sophisticated cultures?In this fascinating synthesis of the disciplines of anthropology, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and biology, William Allman shows us how our minds have evolved in response to challenges faced by our prehistoric ancestors, and reveals how our brains continue to harbor that legacy in the present day.Scientists speculate that many of the problems of modern life -- from obesity to war -- arise because our "Stone Age mind" hasn't caught up with our technologically sophisticated world. But Allman also reveals how morality, rather than being the result of arbitrary convention, is deeply rooted in our need to cooperate, which has been essential to the survival of our species through its evolution.… (more)
Member:omniglot
Title:The Stone of Age Present
Authors:William F Allman
Info:Pocket Books (1995), Paperback, 288 pages
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Stone Age Present by William Allman (1994)

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The sub-title of the book is "How Evolution has Shaped Modern Life--From Sex, Violence, and Language to Emotions, Morals, and Communities." His goal in this book is to pull together all of the science and simply discover the origins of why we behave in certain way. The hook for me was his statement that "our species' remarkable evolutionary success is due to a trait that most of us take for granted but that is rare among other animals on the planet: We make friends." Our ability to cooperate is what has kept us moving along the evolutionary path, and I found that concept so startlingly simple and so different from what everyone else focuses on. The book is extremely well-researched and very easy to read. ( )
  tloeffler | Oct 7, 2012 |
Insightful and comprehensive analysis of the evolutionary underpinings of the contemporary human. Basis is that progress has catapulted us into a completely different world, while evolutionary adaptations have not had the opportunity to take place as quickly. Evidence includes tests where people perform identical logical tests differently under different contexts. Brain development includes more instinctive behavior than previously conceded (flight or fight; identification of natural enemies, ability to think probabilistically via intuition vs hard numbers, etc. Social aspect of the brain includes understanding hierarchies, navigating social climbing, forming groups and enemies. Concepts of love include beauty aspects that indicate health and strength -- much gender issue can be explained by differences between male and female roles. Language roots are in the brain and independently evolved. ( )
  jpsnow | Apr 12, 2008 |
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Epigraph
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained the past
-- T. S. Eliot
Dedication
To Ryan Elizabeth and John Patrick
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Preface
In many respects I have been writing this book all my life.
Introduction
STONE AGE MIND
HOW EVOLUTION HAS SHAPED OUR MODERN-DAY BEHAVIOR
It is not for nothing that we have dubbed ourselves Homo sapiens sapiens, or "doubly wise."
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Have you ever wandered why men don't ask for directions? Why we react with anger to infidelity? Why we love music and art? Why war and racism still thrive in our most sophisticated cultures?In this fascinating synthesis of the disciplines of anthropology, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and biology, William Allman shows us how our minds have evolved in response to challenges faced by our prehistoric ancestors, and reveals how our brains continue to harbor that legacy in the present day.Scientists speculate that many of the problems of modern life -- from obesity to war -- arise because our "Stone Age mind" hasn't caught up with our technologically sophisticated world. But Allman also reveals how morality, rather than being the result of arbitrary convention, is deeply rooted in our need to cooperate, which has been essential to the survival of our species through its evolution.

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