Human Natures: Genes, Cultures, and the Human Prospect First Edition Edition

by Paul R. Ehrlich (Author)

27 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-1559637794

ISBN-10: 155963779X

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The Bell Curve, The Moral Animal, The Selfish Gene -- these and a host of other books and articles have made a seemingly overwhelming case that our genes determine our behavior. Now, in a new book that is sure to stir controversy, one of the world's leading evolutionary biologists shows why most of those claims of genetic destiny cannot be true, and explains how the arguments often stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of evolution itself. "You can't change human nature," the saying goes. But you can, Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich shows us in Human Natures, and in fact, evolution is the story of those changing natures. He makes a compelling case that "human nature" is not a single, unitary entity, but is as diverse as humanity itself, and that changes in culture and other environmental variations play as much of a role in human evolution as genetic changes. We simply don't have enough genes to specify behavior at the level that is often asserted. Never has knowledge of our evolutionary past been more important to our future. Developing intelligent strategies for antibiotic use, pest control, biodiversity protection -- and even for establishing more equitable social arrangements -- all depend on understanding evolution and how it works. A hallmark of Human Natures is the author's ability to convey lucidly that understanding in the course of presenting an engrossing history of our species. Using personal anecdote, vivid example, and stimulating narrative, Ehrlich guides us through the thicket of controversies over what science can and cannot say about the influence of our evolutionary past on everything from race to religion, from sexual orientation to economic development. A major work of synthesis and scholarship, Human Natures gives us the fruit of a lifetime's thought and research on evolution and environment by a modern master of scientific understanding. Ehrlich's innovative vision lights the way to a fresh view of human nature and evolution, bringing insight and clarity to urgent questions of where we are as a species, and where we may be headed.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's common to blame "human nature" for some of the unpleasant facts of life--road rage, say, or murder, or war. The problem with this convenient out, argues the distinguished scientist Paul Ehrlich, is that there really is no single human nature. Humans, it's true, share a common genetic code with remarkably few large-scale differences (if all but native Africans disappeared from the planet, he notes, "humanity would still retain somewhat more than 90 percent of its genetic variability"); and evolution has endowed us with capabilities shared by no other species. But for all that, he adds, our separation into haves and have-nots, weak and strong, and other such categories is more often than not a product of cultural evolution, a process far more complex than the mere mutation and adaptation of a few genes. And, in any event, those genes "do not shout commands to us about our behavior," Ehrlich says. "At the very most, they whisper suggestions."

In this wide-ranging survey of what it is that has made and that continues to make us human, Ehrlich touches on a number of themes--among them, his recurrent observation that science has taught us little about how genes influence human behavior. (Instead, he notes wryly, "science tells us that we are creatures of accident clinging to a ball of mud hurtling aimlessly through space. This is not a notion to warm hearts or rouse multitudes.") He urges that scientists take a larger, interdisciplinary view that looks beyond mere genetics to the larger forces that shape our lives, a view for which Human Natures makes a handy, and highly accessible, primer. --Gregory McNamee

From Publishers Weekly

Most people know Ehrlich as the environmentalist who brought the world's attention to the overpopulation problem in the 1960s. But this Stanford biologist has also enjoyed a long, eminent career exploring evolution. In his new book, he combines his scientific research and environmental concerns into an enlightening narrative of humanity's evolution. Ehrlich surveys the most important research on the origin and rise of hominids and current ideas about the ascent of language and consciousness. He accepts that we are the products of evolution, but he finds the current trends of evolutionary psychology and genetic determinism to be hopelessly simplistic. Instead, Ehrlich shows how genes, culture and the environment together create a complexity that, he says, science still barely grasps. The 100,000 or so genes in human DNA, he contends, could never determine the 100 trillion connections between the neurons in our brains. Evolution may shape our brains generically, but the culture and environment in which we grow up control its fine details. Moving into the more recent past, Ehrlich charts how cultural (rather than biological) evolution has created civilizations, and how it has later destroyed many of them. Finally, he shows how an understanding of human evolution can inform our ethics and our decisions about how to run our societies. It shows, for instance, that under their skin, all humans are practically identical genetically speaking; we cannot pretend that race has any biological significance. We still have a long way to go from an evolutionary point of view: our ancestors spent millions of years living in small groups and dealing with the immediate struggle of finding food, and we have not yet adapted to the globalized society or such problems as human-created climate change. Although Jared Diamond and others have plowed this ground before, Ehrlich's book is so well researched and so elegantly presented that it stands as one of the best introductions to human evolution in recent memory. And that along with Ehrlich's name recognition should help this break out from the usual. science audience. 20,000 first printing; 8-city author tour; national radio interviews; national print advertising.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product details

Hardcover: 576 pages
Publisher: Island Press; First Edition edition (August 1, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 155963779X
ISBN-13: 978-1559637794
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.6 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 27 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,469,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1193 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Anthropology > Physical
- #1688 in Books > Textbooks > Science & Mathematics > Biology & Life Sciences > Ecology
- #2672 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Genetics

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Our many complex natures

January 3, 2001

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

According to Jared Diamond, "The one book to read on human evolution." Human Natures is clear, quite readable, and concise thus bringing a difficult subject into focus. Ehrlich disabused me of several notions that I had built up over many years of reading about evolution in various publications. No longer will I blame "genes" for everything that goes right and wrong in my life or the lives of those around me. Certainly, genes will still hold a prominent position in my understanding of human natures (plural, for there are many), but our environment will be moved up as at least an equal partner. Here is an example of his excellent style; Ehrlich writes (page 119 & 120): "Despite the uncertainties, several general points with particular evolutionary relevance about the mechanisms of the human brain seem quite will established. In summary, they key points are as follows: 1. The brain is an organ that, like other organs, has evolved a structure that serves its various functions. 2. The brain can compensate for partial damage and, often, keep thinking. 3. The brain has many "programs"--connected sets of neurons--that have been built in over hundreds of millions of years by natural selection. 4. More recently evolved programs in the brain enable us to solve problems of relationships and causation that are difficult or impossible for other animals to solve. 5. Although selection has led to these capabilities by creation of appropriate genotypes, appropriate environments (both internal and external) are essential to produce the behavioral characteristics we observe. 6. Natural selection has designed the brain's programs to bias certain perceptions and behaviors. 7. Nonetheless, the genetic code does not build specific instructions into the brain's structure for dealing with every conceivable behavioral situation or even large numbers of them. 8. Natural selection has trouble doing just one thing at a time with respect to the brain, just as with other organs. It is unlikely, for example, that selection could produce a brain program that predisposes females to desire males with curly hair without changing other programs of the brain or, perhaps, other aspects of the human phenotype."
Ehrlich then goes on to explain all these concepts in detail with easily understood supporting evidence, arguments, and theories. From genes, to religion, to cultures, our complex human natures are unraveled and put before us to see and recognize as the wonder they are. Evolution of the human species is explained in the timeframe and the manner supported by the best scientific evidence of the day. Yet, the wonder and mystery of sentient beings is not in any way denigrated. This is definitely a book to read, and perhaps the only one those of us not in the sciences needs to read for some time to come.

11 people found this helpful12 people found this helpful

Human Natures: Genes, Cultures and the Human Prospect

May 4, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is an excellent book from my point of view. It contains information that even I can decipher. A bit of wit and humor included within the pages certainly helps with the digestion of a very great deal of information. Very well written by an author with credentials and experience,I recommend this book to anyone interested in evolution, genetics, and mankind's own developement.

Momintum

One person found this helpful2 people found this helpful

September 15, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

As expected

One person found this helpful

July 18, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great book and good Amazon servce.

One person found this helpful

March 20, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

came is great condition, but not interesting to read.

One person found this helpful

From Lucy to Japanese kamikazees...What's in our genes?

February 7, 2011

Format: Paperback

This book is an interesting attempt to explain human natures from different evolutionary perspectives, from paleoanthropology to the social sciences. Much of the material I found in this book I already knew from other sources, but Mr. Ehrlich put everything nicely together. In fact what surprised me most was the extensive Reference Index of this book; I amused myself by thinking of books I had read related to these topics and then looking them up. To my amazement I found most of them were included.

The first half of the book is devoted to explaining our biological evolution starting from our ape ancestors to "homo sapiens". Evolution was broadly explained (for deeper, easier or complementary explanations I suggest Microcosmos: Four Billion Years of Microbial Evolution andOrigin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics). The human ascent is thoroughly covered, as well as the different "out of Africa" theories. Afterwards the author gives a brief overview of brain evolution, language and sex in "homo sapiens".

The second part is devoted to cultural evolution, starting from politics to religion, art and warfare (including chimpanzee politics - Our Inner Ape: A Leading Primatologist Explains Why We Are Who We Are is a more thorough explanation). The explanation of the "drivers" of history as being either of a macroevolutionary nature (meaning the environmental forces, like climate, food sources, predators or rivals, etc.) or of a microevolutionary kind (like social and political organization, religious aspects, individual personalities and their power struggles, etc.) was very interesting. Pre-history (before agricultural settlements) was probably mainly ruled by macroevolutionary factors, whereas what we understand as history is mainly the narration of the microevolutionary factors. Mr. Ehrlich believes that if we continue stressing the environment as we are doing now, macroevolutionary factors (like water or food supplies) might regain their former importance in shaping the future of our civilizations. The last two chapters are in fact devoted to Mr. Ehrlich's advise on how to learn from evolution (starting from the use of antibiotics and pesticides to the ideal size of human groups) instead of ignoring it with catastrophic consequences for our sustainable future.

Throughout the book you will find the "nature vs. nurture" debate regarding human natures (how much of our behaviour is genetically determined and how much is environment/culture dependent). However, I think explanations related to this debate are incomplete when one does not mention that genes are "activated" and "inhibited" by way of certain substances that are released in response to environmental input and that even pure conditioning (the most basic form of learning) is achieved by way of synaptic activation and the formation of more synapses. For excellent accounts read In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind and The Agile Gene: How Nature Turns on Nurture.

All in all this is a very informative book, although in my opinion the author does not entirely succeed in structuring a coherent whole. Cultural evolution is not sufficiently covered, maybe because it is not the area of expertise of Mr. Ehrlich, maybe because many studies in these fields lack the evolutionary approach or maybe just because these areas have more layers of complexity and the interrelations are not always apparent or are difficult to test. For an extremely interesting evolutionary approach to cognition, language and culture I strongly recommend Origins of the Modern Mind: Three Stages in the Evolution of Culture and Cognition.

2 people found this helpful3 people found this helpful

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