Adam's Ancestors: Race, Religion, and the Politics of Human Origins (Medicine, Science, and Religion in Historical Context) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A great piece of scholarship and an equally great read. Particularly instructive is Livingstone's discussion of monogenism, polygenism, and the various ways these theories of human origins were used in the social and political arena. This is a substantial contribution to the history of anthropology, of evolution theory, of race and racialist thought, and of science and religion." -- Nicolaas Rupke, Institute for Science History, Georg-August University of Göttingen

"A remarkable achievement. It is a tightly organized and coherently packaged account of a set of ideas which mainstream scholarship now ignores. Controversial themes and explosive issues abound in Livingstone's work, which is important, topical, and fascinating." -- Colin Kidd, University of Glasgow

"As David Livingstone shows in this fascinating book, which carefully traces the history of speculations about Adam's ancestors, debates about human origins have always had, and continue to have, moral and political dimensions." -- Sciences Humaines

"David Livingstone traces in detail a fascinating and sometimes troubling story... A book to ponder." -- Ernan McMullin, Tablet

"The mark of the true scholar, the really inventive one, is that he or she shows us that there are problems and issues worth discussing that we simply did not know about or even speculate about... I really recommend David Livingstone's book. It informs and leaves you with more questions than when you started. What more could you ask of scholarship?" -- Michael Ruse

"Provides both college-level and general-interest lending libraries with a fine history of non-Adamic humanity and the debates surrounding it." -- Midwest Book Review

"Adam's Ancestors is a model of meticulous historical scholarship. It is greatly enhanced by a geographer's sensitivity to the role of place in intellectual history." -- Donald A. Yerxa, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith

"The amazing scope of Adam's Ancestors contributes to its appeal, and it can be highly recommended both for its sweeping synthesis and for the nature of the questions it raises in the mind of the reader." -- John M. Lynch, British Journal of the History of Science

"Richly detailed, amply illustrated work." -- J David Pleins, Reports of the National Center for Science Education

Product Description

Although the idea that all human beings are descended from Adam is a long-standing conviction in the West, another version of this narrative exists: human beings inhabited the Earth before, or alongside, Adam, and their descendants still occupy the planet.

In this engaging and provocative work, David N. Livingstone traces the history of the idea of non-Adamic humanity, and the debates surrounding it, from the Middle Ages to the present day. From a multidisciplinary perspective, Livingstone examines how this alternative idea has been used for cultural, religious, and political purposes. He reveals how what began as biblical criticism became a theological apologetic to reconcile religion with science -- evolution in particular -- and was later used to support arguments for white supremacy and segregation.

From heresy to orthodoxy, from radicalism to conservatism, from humanitarianism to racism, Adam's Ancestors tells an intriguing tale of twists and turns in the cultural politics surrounding the age-old question, "Where did we come from?"

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801888131
• ISBN-13: 978-0801888137
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #858,309 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding survey., September 5, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

ADAM'S ANCESTORS: RACE, RELIGION & THE POLITICS OF HUMAN ORIGINS provides both college-level and general-interest lending libraries with a fine history of non-Adamic humanity and the debates surrounding it, considering the alternative notion of Adam's descendants: that humans inhabited the Earth before or alongside Adam, and their descendants still occupy the planet. Religion, science and anthropological concerns are all presented in an outstanding survey.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fine academic study, August 24, 2009

By	Anson Cassel Mills (Lake Santeetlah, NC) - See all my reviews

This comprehensive study treats the various manifestations of the theory that there did (or does) exist a pre-Adamic humanity. Some versions of this conjecture reflected skepticism about the Bible, others were attempts to defend the Bible from Darwinism, and still others served simply as props for "scientific racism." Livingstone thoughtfully explores a number of significant issues in this fine work.

Nevertheless, my guess is that most readers will mine the book for its information rather than read it straight through for enjoyment. Although Livingstone writes in a clear academic style, clarity does not necessarily make a book (in the words of one pre-publication reviewer) a "great read."

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On genesis myths, genetics myths, and the persistent dialogue between science and religion over human beginnings and identity, August 3, 2009

By	ROROTOKO (www.rorotoko.com) - See all my reviews

"Adam's Ancestors" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Livingstone's book interview ran here as cover feature on February 6, 2009.