Coming Home to the Pleistocene [Hardcover]

Paul Shepard (Author), Florence R. Shepard (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1998 | ISBN-10: 1559635894 | ISBN-13: 978-1559635899 | Edition: 1

"When we grasp fully that the best expressions of our humanity were not invented by civilization but by cultures that preceded it, that the natural world is not only a set of constraints but of contexts within which we can more fully realize our dreams, we will be on the way to a long overdue reconciliation between opposites which are of our own making." --from Coming Home to the Pleistocene Paul Shepard was one of the most profound and original thinkers of our time. Seminal works like The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game, Thinking Animals, and Nature and Madness introduced readers to new and provocative ideas about humanity and its relationship to the natural world. Throughout his long and distinguished career, Paul Shepard returned repeatedly to his guiding theme, the central tenet of his thought: that our essential human nature is a product of our genetic heritage, formed through thousands of years of evolution during the Pleistocene epoch, and that the current subversion of that Pleistocene heritage lies at the heart of today's ecological and social ills. Coming Home to the Pleistocene provides the fullest explanation of that theme. Completed just before his death in the summer of 1996, it represents the culmination of Paul Shepard's life work and constitutes the clearest, most accessible expression of his ideas. Coming Home to the Pleistocene pulls together the threads of his vision, considers new research and thinking that expands his own ideas, and integrates material within a new matrix of scientific thought that both enriches his original insights and allows them to be considered in a broader context of current intellectual controversies. In addition, the bookexplicitly addresses the fundamental question raised by Paul Shepard's work: What can we do to recreate a life more in tune with our genetic roots? In this book, Paul Shepard presents concrete suggestions for fostering the kinds of ecological settings and cultural practices that are optimal for human health and well-being. Coming Home to the Pleistocene is a valuable book for those familiar with the life and work of Paul Shepard, as well as for new readers seeking an accessible introduction to and overview of his thought.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Until his death in 1996, Paul Shepard was Avery Professor Emeritus of Human Ecology at Pitzer College and the Claremont Graduate School. Among his books are The Others (Island Press/Shearwater Books, 1995) and Traces of an Omnivore (Island Press/Shearwater Books, 1996).

Florence R. Shepard is professor emerita of educational studies at the University of Utah, an essayist, and author of Ecotone (SUNY, 1994).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559635894
• ISBN-13: 978-1559635899
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,283,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Coming home to the truth January 12, 2000

By Jeffrey Bickart

Format:Hardcover

In his most readable book, Shepard lays out his thesis that the fundamental nature of humans was formed by our hundreds of thousands of years as hunter gatherers, and that our subsequent lives as nomadic pastoralists or settled agriculturalists have been very destructive not only of our surroundings but of our psyches. The problems created by these last two ways of life have been described by other authors (e.g., Jared Diamond, in The Third Chimpanzee), but Shepard's treatment is rich and impressive. Shepard's language is, in fact, often beautiful, although it is not easy, principally because of vocabulary. This book was the last of four read by the students in my freshman Human Evolution class this past term. About 3/4 of them found it fairly difficult going, but many also found it very rewarding--in fact it deeply affected several. I thought the book's weaknesses were (1) its lack of well-developed ideas about how to reconnect with our Pleistocene heritage, given that we are now stuck with agriculture (and industrialism, etc.)--Shepard presents a long list of possibilities in the last chapter, but many are very unrealistic (and he does not include the learning and practicing of "primitive" technologies, such as making fire by friction, making stone tools, braintanning hides, and so on--a powerful, deeply satisfying way to understand our common past), and (2) his near failure to acknowledge that agriculture can be practiced well, that it need not be destructive, and that it can give one a strong and healthy connection to the land. (Shepard in a chapter endnote does praise Wendell Berry, Wes Jackson, and Gary Snyder for their sort of farming.) These problems are, however, minor; this is an important book, and should be read by any interested in human evolution.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Think of it as a cornerstone, not a keystone... January 29, 2000

By Art Patten

Format:Hardcover

This book is the culmination of one of the most important academic careers of this century. It is, to be sure, several decades ahead of the curriculum. It also offers an insightful perspective on the development of Shepard's thinking since his preposterous vision of a modern cynegetic society as laid out at the end of The Tender Carnovore. His recommendations at the end of this book are simple and realistic, and emanate a maturity and an acceptance that his earlier books lacked in all of their radical fervor! By recognizing some very broad truths and offering some very simple and realistic recommendations for the individual to follow, he clearly hopes to outline a path that will gradually change human societies for the better, within the realities and constraints of modern modes of existence. In this way, he has chosen only to offer a better laid foundation for the future of humanity (or at least to begin repairing the faults in the modern 10,000 year old foundation). To my mind, despite its posthumous publication, this is Shepard at his wisest and most conciliatory with his fellow human beings. I trust that the ideas accurately represent the culmination of his thinking by virtue of the fact that his wife edited the book shortly after his death. As for modern culture having "evolved", this doesn't fit into any current anthropological models. Technology has evolved quickly in reaction to problems generated by overcrowding and/or climatalogical change, and societies have shaped themselves around new technologies and economies. However, biology cannot change nearly as quickly as culture, and sometimes suffers as a result. By incorporating some of Shepard's ideas, we might be able to marry culture more closely to biology. Such modern evolutionary theory is truly exploding in several academic disciplines; if you subscribe in any way to the concept of biological adaptation, then you cannot simply dismiss thinkers such as Shepard, Piaget, H.L. Abrams, or others by accusing them of nostalgia or romanticism. They have provided some of the most empirically sound theories of our time, theories that continually gain confirmation and vindication. You can almost hear Shep saying, "See? I told you so..."

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Feast of Important Ideas January 17, 2003

By Richard Reese

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Paul Shepard was a brilliant ecologist and an amazing original thinker. His final book is one of the most important contributions to the Earth Crisis discussion. It combines the best ideas from "The Tender Carnivore," "The Others," and "Nature and Madness." It leaves out his clunky ideas, and it's fairly easy to read. This book is a condensed version of the cream of Shepard's life work -- his masterpiece. Shepard died shortly after finishing it, so his wife did the editing cycle. Consequently, this is the most readable of his books.

In a nutshell, he sees that we are genetically wild animals from the Pleistocene. Our genes expect us to be living a leisured life in the wilderness, in small bands, eating wild foods. We are not designed to thrive in cities, eating [bad] foods, in overcrowded conditions. Living in the modern world destroys our bodies, minds, and spirits.

Shepard takes us on a fascinating voyage through human history, with extended discussions of plant and animal domestication, and the horror that these grave mistakes brought to humankind. He recommends beginning the voyage back to a Pleistocene way of life. Shepard has done his homework, and this book is filled with provocative and head-spinning ideas. If you want to know WHY we got to where we are today, this book is a treasure chest.

Richard Adrian Reese
Author of What Is Sustainable