The Descent of Mind: Psychological Perspectives on Hominid Evolution (Hardcover)

~ Michael C. Corballis (Editor), Stephen E.G. Lea (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'... this book to open up exciting new dimensions in the study of human evolution' Robin Dunbar School of Biological Sciences, Liverpool

'The book is billed as being of interest to a multi-disciplinary audience and meets its aim of befitting advanced students and researchers in evolutionary psychology, anthropology, evolution and palaeontology' QJEP Section B --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

To what extent is the human mind like that of an ape? How much of human abilities are the product of culture and how much of biology? Is language uniquely human? In this volume, leading psychologists draw on ideas from the theory of evolution to shed new light on some of the most difficult questions about the human mind. The book includes a thorough overview of what is known of the non-primate mind and its evolution, a discussion of pre-hominids of 20 million years ago, and a survey of contemporary human behavior.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198524196
• ISBN-13: 978-0198524199
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,315,841 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucid introduction to evolutionary psychology, September 23, 2002

By	Peter A. Kindle (Kansas City, Missouri) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this collection of 17 essays to be a delightful read. Only two seemed a little too dense or obscure for an introduction, and many seemed to be top-drawer. Because this book captures different perspectives in one volume, I believe it is an excellent primer on the issues and contemporary state of evolutionary psychology.

Taken as a whole this collection argues most explicitly for the evolution of mind. In particular, the primary challenge is to understand the evolutionary development of personality, theory of mind, metamind, social mind, intelligence and language. I was continually amazed at the blending of paleontology, neurology, animal studies, and childhood development into a synthetic whole. The importance of social context in hominid evolution, especially in the development of semantics and grammar, was presented in a clear and convincing manner.

Evolutionary psychology must deal with a breadth of data that is astonishing. Mastery of this interdisciplinary approach may be beyond most readers, but Corballis and Lea offer a diverse collection capable if whetting the appetite of almost everyone. It is my pleasure to recommend this book for the curious, the analytical, and the theorist. Within these pages may lie the kernel of a meta-narrative for all of psychology.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucid introduction to evolutionary psychology, September 23, 2002

By	Peter A. Kindle (Kansas City, Missouri) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this collection of 17 essays to be a delightful read. Only two seemed a little too dense or obscure for an introduction, and many seemed to be top-drawer. Because this book captures different perspectives in one volume, I believe it is an excellent primer on the issues and contemporary state of evolutionary psychology.

Taken as a whole this collection argues most explicitly for the evolution of mind. In particular, the primary challenge is to understand the evolutionary development of personality, theory of mind, metamind, social mind, intelligence and language. I was continually amazed at the blending of paleontology, neurology, animal studies, and childhood development into a synthetic whole. The importance of social context in hominid evolution, especially in the development of semantics and grammar, was presented in a clear and convincing manner.

Evolutionary psychology must deal with a breadth of data that is astonishing. Mastery of this interdisciplinary approach may be beyond most readers, but Corballis and Lea offer a diverse collection capable if whetting the appetite of almost everyone. It is my pleasure to recommend this book for the curious, the analytical, and the theorist. Within these pages may lie the kernel of a meta-narrative for all of psychology.