Man, The Promising Primate: The Conditions of Human Evolution, Second edition
Language: English
Published by Yale University Press, 1983
- Softcover
- Used

Seller: World of Books Inc, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.World of Books Inc
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
Condition: Used - Good
£ 4.76
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
In spite of recent advances in the study of evolution, scholars have shied away from the most intriguing problem of all?how and why animal nature became human nature. In confronting this problem, Peter Wilson leads his readers on a fascinating exploration. What made it possible, he asks, for one genus of the order Primates, living in Africa in the Plio-Pleistocene era, to become human and to develop culture? Continuing the tradition of bold speculation fathered by the philosophical anthropology of Hobbes and Rousseau, Wilson seeks to unravel the evidence for such basic human adaptations as self-conscious thought, symbolic kinship, ritual behavior, and objective reasoning. While genetics may account for potentialities and limits, Wilson argues that the actual evolution of a species can be understood only in relation to the changing conditions of its environment. Rejecting the idea of a human evolutionary leap as contradicting Darwin?s theory, Wilson shows how the continuity of the genus Homo within the order Primates is to be found in generalization. Man was and is a promising primate, of endless potential coupled with a vulnerable need to exchange promises. From these emerge kinship systems, society, and culture. This incisive and gracefully written book offers both a new synthesis and a fresh starting point for evolutionists in several disciplines. Its central argument and special insights?into fatherhood, the incest taboo, marriage, and the relation of food to thought?challenge current emphasis on biogenetic determinism and provide a new approach to anthropological theorizing.…
Seller Inventory # CIN0300029888G
- Title
- Man, The Promising Primate: The Conditions of Human Evolution, Second edition
- Author
- Peter J Wilson
- Publisher
- Yale University Press
- Publication year
- 1983
- Condition
- Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0300029888
- ISBN 13
- 9780300029888
- Edition
- 2nd Edition
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
World of Books Inc
Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
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Founded in 2002, World of Books is a leading online destination for buying and selling both preloved and new books, committed to making sustainable reading accessible to all. With a mission to help people read more and waste less, World of Books offers a huge range of affordable, high-quality books — giving both new and preloved titles a second life. The company also operates World of Books – Sell Your Books, an easy-to-use platform that allows customers to trade in unwanted books for cash, helping to keep books in circulation while promoting sustainability. As a Certified B Corp, World of Books is driven by a vision to become the world’s largest and most sustainable dedicated online bookstore. The company measures its success through the positive environmental impact it creates, the value it provides to customers, and its ability to operate profitably while supporting its sustainable mission …
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