Synopses & Reviews
Evolutionary scientists know that the line that divides humans from other animals has grown increasingly blurry, yet many other fields, especially in the social sciences, have not really absorbed this knowledge. At the same time, the knowledge that all humans are genetically and cognitively modern has left the apes as our only true "savages." Thus if we want to learn about human nature and how we came to be as we are, we must look to the apes. In this sweeping, fresh, controversial book, primatologist Craig Stanford does just that, giving us fascinating insights--and debunks many myths--about infanticide, mating practices, and the origins of human cognition.
Synopsis
In Significant Others, the co-director of the world-famous Jane Goodall Research Center uses our recent knowledge of great ape behavior to examine (and puncture) many myths about humans-about infanticide, mating practices, the origins of human cognition, the human diet, language, and many other subjects. Evolutionary scientists know that the dividing line between humans and other animals has grown increasingly blurry-it's even become a clich (c)o note that we share 99 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. Yet this knowledge, while superficially accepted, has not really been absorbed by many fields, especially the social sciences. At the same time, the knowledge that all humans are genetically and cognitively modern, no matter how "primitive" we may find them, has left the apes the only true "savages." Thus if we want to learn about human nature and how we came to be as we are, we have to look to the apes to tell us. This is a sweeping, fresh, controversial book on what the science of primates can tell us about our own natures.
Synopsis
What the family connection between apes and humans really means
About the Author
Craig Stanford is Co-Director of the Jane Goodall Primate Research Center, in Gombe, Uganda; Director of the Bwindi-Impenetrable Great Ape Project, in Bwindi-Impenetrable National Park, Uganda; and Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Southern California. He splits his time between Uganda and Los Angeles, California.