Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #397714 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
There is an assumption, often made but no truer for that, that the facts of evolutionary life are right-wing. One of the aims of this remarkable book on the development of intelligence among early humans is to knock that particular assumption on the head. For Kohn, one of the crucial facts about the evolution of humanity is that it took place among humans; genes are passed down individually, but we exist collectively. The two particular issues on which he concentrates--the making of flint hand axes, identical across a million years and three continents, and the formation of female coalitions through deceit or tact about fertility--are fascinating in themselves but best seen as examples of his overall theme. Those who know Kohn's work from his books on drug panics--Narcomaniaand Dope Girls--and his exemplary account of race, science and racism--The Race Gallery--or from his computer column in the Independent on Sunday will know his clarity of mind and expression. This is a book that says some new things and popularises some new ideas, but its precision of thought is its point and its chief merit. This is not only one of the best recent books on early humans--it is also the best-written. --Roz Kaveney

Synopsis
An account of how the human mind evolved. It is a theory of mind: it tells us how our immediate ancestors might have thought, and seen the world, in the absence of language, gods or culture. Marek Kohn relates that ancient heritage to our humanity, and examines the influence of our hominid past on our own behaviour, as creatures who speak, symbolize and create. Central to the book is a meditation on the handaxe, crafted again and again for hundreds of thousands of years by our proto-human ancestors. In his reconstruction of the uses and meaning of the handaxe, Kohn takes us into an alien world that is strangely close to our own. This is a work of sociobiology, in that it applies Darwinism to human culture. Unlike almost all works of "evolutionary psychology", however, it seeks to recapture Darwinism from the political right, and to show that a better understanding of our evolutionary history need not lead to an imposing of limits on who we are and what we may become.

Customer Reviews

MAKES YOU THINK ABOUT HOW YOU THINK.
When dealing with the depths of human pre-history it is necessary to enter into a form of speculation. As with all Evolutionary Psychology it's hard to actually prove anything one way or the other. Mr Kohn offers very convincing arguments as to the role that tool making in general and the hand axe in particular had in the evolution of our ability to think in terms of cause and effect.

Some themes here are covered in Lewis Wolpert's Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast, but Mr Kohn's is a much more detailed work.

I really enjoyed this!
This book is different to most of the other popular science-type books that I have read and is more philosophical and far reaching. The writing style is unique and crosses the barriers between literary and non-ficton. At the end of it I felt that I understood the concept of genes and genomes in a profound way. I really enjoyed this and thoroughly recommend it to everyone!

A thought-provoking, questioning book which needs to be read
This book is very well written for the layman, dealing with complex ideas and issues. It is controversial and the points are well made and argued. Using many other sources, Kohn makes a good case for the way he believes we think. The book fits in well with current behavioural psychology, sociology and anthrolopology and reclaims many of the ideas that have been fallen into disfavour. I found this book fascinating to read, although I did not agree with all of the premises. I also do not think that Kohn goes far enough in his interpretation and analysis of some of the data. That said, the style of writing encourages and makes for lively debate!