The Accidental Species

Misunderstandings of Human Evolution

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Earth Sciences, Palaeontology, Biological Sciences, Evolution
Cover of the book The Accidental Species by Henry Gee, University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Henry Gee ISBN: 9780226044989
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: October 15, 2013
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author: Henry Gee
ISBN: 9780226044989
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: October 15, 2013
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

The idea of a missing link between humanity and our animal ancestors predates evolution and popular science and actually has religious roots in the deist concept of the Great Chain of Being. Yet, the metaphor has lodged itself in the contemporary imagination, and new fossil discoveries are often hailed in headlines as revealing the elusive transitional step, the moment when we stopped being “animal” and started being “human.” In The Accidental Species, Henry Gee, longtime paleontology editor at Nature, takes aim at this misleading notion, arguing that it reflects a profound misunderstanding of how evolution works and, when applied to the evolution of our own species, supports mistaken ideas about our own place in the universe.

 

Gee presents a robust and stark challenge to our tendency to see ourselves as the acme of creation. Far from being a quirk of religious fundamentalism, human exceptionalism, Gee argues, is an error that also infects scientific thought. Touring the many features of human beings that have recurrently been used to distinguish us from the rest of the animal world, Gee shows that our evolutionary outcome is one possibility among many, one that owes more to chance than to an organized progression to supremacy. He starts with bipedality, which he shows could have arisen entirely by accident, as a by-product of sexual selection, moves on to technology, large brain size, intelligence, language, and, finally, sentience. He reveals each of these attributes to be alive and well throughout the animal world—they are not, indeed, unique to our species.

The Accidental Species combines Gee’s firsthand experience on the editorial side of many incredible paleontological findings with healthy skepticism and humor to create a book that aims to overturn popular thinking on human evolution—the key is not what’s missing, but how we’re linked.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The idea of a missing link between humanity and our animal ancestors predates evolution and popular science and actually has religious roots in the deist concept of the Great Chain of Being. Yet, the metaphor has lodged itself in the contemporary imagination, and new fossil discoveries are often hailed in headlines as revealing the elusive transitional step, the moment when we stopped being “animal” and started being “human.” In The Accidental Species, Henry Gee, longtime paleontology editor at Nature, takes aim at this misleading notion, arguing that it reflects a profound misunderstanding of how evolution works and, when applied to the evolution of our own species, supports mistaken ideas about our own place in the universe.

 

Gee presents a robust and stark challenge to our tendency to see ourselves as the acme of creation. Far from being a quirk of religious fundamentalism, human exceptionalism, Gee argues, is an error that also infects scientific thought. Touring the many features of human beings that have recurrently been used to distinguish us from the rest of the animal world, Gee shows that our evolutionary outcome is one possibility among many, one that owes more to chance than to an organized progression to supremacy. He starts with bipedality, which he shows could have arisen entirely by accident, as a by-product of sexual selection, moves on to technology, large brain size, intelligence, language, and, finally, sentience. He reveals each of these attributes to be alive and well throughout the animal world—they are not, indeed, unique to our species.

The Accidental Species combines Gee’s firsthand experience on the editorial side of many incredible paleontological findings with healthy skepticism and humor to create a book that aims to overturn popular thinking on human evolution—the key is not what’s missing, but how we’re linked.

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book Reading Clocks, Alla Turca by Henry Gee
Cover of the book Lovable Racists, Magical Negroes, and White Messiahs by Henry Gee
Cover of the book Cutting the Fuse by Henry Gee
Cover of the book 57 Ways to Screw Up in Grad School by Henry Gee
Cover of the book D-Day Through French Eyes by Henry Gee
Cover of the book Cul de Sac by Henry Gee
Cover of the book A Little History of Photography Criticism; or, Why Do Photography Critics Hate Photography? by Henry Gee
Cover of the book Individualism and Economic Order by Henry Gee
Cover of the book War's Waste by Henry Gee
Cover of the book How to Succeed in College (While Really Trying) by Henry Gee
Cover of the book How Places Make Us by Henry Gee
Cover of the book Modes of Uncertainty by Henry Gee
Cover of the book Birth of Hegemony by Henry Gee
Cover of the book Particle and Wave by Henry Gee
Cover of the book Landscapes of the Secular by Henry Gee
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy