So Much Stuff How Humans Discovered Tools, Invented Meaning, and Made More of Everything

Colwell, Chip

ISBN 10: 022680142X / ISBN 13: 9780226801421

Published by Univ of Chicago Pr, 2023

323 pages. 9.00x6.00x1.00 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # 022680142X

Synopsis:

How humans became so dependent on things and how this need has grown dangerously out of control.

Over three million years ago, our ancient ancestors realized that rocks could be broken into sharp-edged objects for slicing meat, making the first knives. This discovery resulted in a good meal and eventually changed the fate of our species and our planet.

With So Much Stuff, archaeologist Chip Colwell sets out to investigate why humankind went from self-sufficient primates to nonstop shoppers, from needing nothing to needing everything. Along the way, he uncovers spectacular and strange points around the world--an Italian cave with the world's first known painted art, a Hong Kong skyscraper where a priestess channels the gods, and a mountain of trash that rivals the Statue of Liberty. Through these examples, Colwell shows how humanity took three leaps that led to stuff becoming inseparable from our lives, inspiring a love affair with things that may lead to our downfall. Now, as landfills brim and oceans drown in trash, Colwell issues a timely call to reevaluate our relationship with the things that both created and threaten to undo our overstuffed planet.

About the Author: Chip Colwell is an archaeologist, former museum curator, and editor-in-chief of SAPIENS, a digital magazine about anthropological thinking and discoveries. He is the author and editor of twelve books, including the award-winning Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America's Culture, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Bibliographic Details

Title: So Much Stuff How Humans Discovered Tools,...
Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr
Publication Date: 2023
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Brand New