Robin Dunbar, Human
Evolution: Our Brains and Behavior
(Oxford: 2016)
Reviewed for Choice Magazine by:
Ronald F. White,
Ph.D.
Professor of
Philosophy
Mount St. Joseph
University
Written by an
internationally recognized evolutionary psychologist and anthropologist, this
is a top-notch, state-of-the-art analysis of human evolution It traces the evolution
of the human species through five distinct “Transitions,” based on changes in either
brain size and/or ecological circumstance: (First) Australopithecines, (Second)
Early Homo, (Third) Archaic Humans (Fourth), Modern Humans, and (Fifth) Neolithic
Humans. It departs from other traditional anthropological accounts by focusing
less on “stones and bones” and more on the evolution of “social and cognitive traits;” especially,
the evolutionary puzzle of how to maintain social bonding in ever-growing
communities, while (at the same time) meeting the nutrient requirements of
larger bodies and brains. Dunbar’s approach builds upon the longstanding “social
brain hypothesis” by extending what we know about primate time-allocation; or, how
primates, hominids, and early humans might have allocated their time at various
latitudes for feeding, travel, rest, and social bonding. Many significant behavioral
markers are discussed including: bipedalism, reproduction, migration, foraging,
laughter, singing, dancing, weaponry, fire (warmth, light, cooking), meat-eating
(small/large game), language, feasting, agriculture, husbandry, raiding, and
warfare. Rife with technical terms, this rigorously referenced, science book covers
over 2 million years of human history. It is, however, extraordinarily well-written,
well-organized, and highly readable. This is certainly a high priority acquisition
for most academic and large public libraries.
