Customer Reviews

The Evolution of Man and Society

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C. D. Darlington looks at history from the perspective of biology and human behavior. Instead of simply declaring that thus-and-such happened, followed by such-and-thus, Darlington tells us why things happened. He describes the engines which have driven both historical individuals and civilizations to do as they have done. It's all there, from soup to nuts, in this comprehensive treatise on human civilization . . . and not in the least boring, I might add.

The first three chapters - less than 10% of the book, and smaller than the bibliography and index - are well worth a careful read, as they summarise the whole business of types of ape and monkey -> chromosomes and other genetic links to mankind, including variations between species of these animals which hint at the way mankind evolved. Darlington mostly discusses (of course) the finer points of change, not speciation as such. This includes externally caused changes, such as sickle cell, and also changes in structures needed for speech. He examines monkey societies and the relation to oestrus. He discusses variability, and the connection with breeding strategies and such things as incest taboo and genetic distance between breeding couples. He looks at the way diseases and parasites (and carriers of parasites) were influenced by man's expansion. He looks at ecological niches - fishing, cold climates, farming, hunting - and boundaries between territories, such as mountain ranges, and the effects of climate on races. There's interesting anthropological material, much of it from India.

The great bulk of the book examines human history so far as it was known. There are omissions - China, the Mongols, the western hemisphere are rather underrepresented. Moreover, as is liable to happen with history, some of it is wrong - he has for example his map of the spread of Jews shows he had no idea about the Khazars. He is pro-Lenin for some reason. However he's good on the biological effects of (for example) celibacy in some organisations, control of fertility, insistence on inbreeding, the uses of castration, royal dynasties.

Roughly speaking, whenever Darlington generalises and makes use of many sources, he's sounder than when focussing on individuals. The first three chapters are recommended for an overview written in pre-DNA times.