The Taming of Evolution

The Persistence of Nonevolutionary Views in the Study of Humans

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Biological Sciences, Evolution, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book The Taming of Evolution by Davydd Greenwood, Cornell University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Davydd Greenwood ISBN: 9781501719943
Publisher: Cornell University Press Publication: March 15, 2018
Imprint: Cornell University Press Language: English
Author: Davydd Greenwood
ISBN: 9781501719943
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication: March 15, 2018
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Language: English

The theory of evolution has clearly altered our views of the biological world, but in the study of human beings, evolutionary and preevolutionary views continue to coexist in a state of perpetual tension. The Taming of Evolution addresses the questions of how and why this is so. Davydd Greenwood offers a sustained critique of the nature/nurture debate, revealing the complexity of the relationship between science and ideology. He maintains that popular contemporary theories, most notably E. O. Wilson’s human sociobiology and Marvin Harris’s cultural materialism, represent pre-Darwinian notions overlaid by elaborate evolutionary terminology. Greenwood first details the humoral-environmental and Great Chain of Being theories that dominated Western thinking before Darwin. He systematically compares these ideas with those later influenced by Darwin’s theories, illuminating the surprising continuities between them. Greenwood suggests that it would be neither difficult nor socially dangerous to develop a genuinely evolutionary understanding of human beings, so long as we realized that we could not derive political and moral standards from the study of biological processes.

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

The theory of evolution has clearly altered our views of the biological world, but in the study of human beings, evolutionary and preevolutionary views continue to coexist in a state of perpetual tension. The Taming of Evolution addresses the questions of how and why this is so. Davydd Greenwood offers a sustained critique of the nature/nurture debate, revealing the complexity of the relationship between science and ideology. He maintains that popular contemporary theories, most notably E. O. Wilson’s human sociobiology and Marvin Harris’s cultural materialism, represent pre-Darwinian notions overlaid by elaborate evolutionary terminology. Greenwood first details the humoral-environmental and Great Chain of Being theories that dominated Western thinking before Darwin. He systematically compares these ideas with those later influenced by Darwin’s theories, illuminating the surprising continuities between them. Greenwood suggests that it would be neither difficult nor socially dangerous to develop a genuinely evolutionary understanding of human beings, so long as we realized that we could not derive political and moral standards from the study of biological processes.

More books from Cornell University Press

Cover of the book The Sleep of Behemoth by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book Violence and Vengeance by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book Weapons of Mass Migration by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book Raja Yudhisthira by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book The Neoliberal City by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book The Politics of the Headscarf in the United States by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book Tolstoy On War by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book Inadvertent Escalation by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book The Greengrocer and His TV by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book Dark Age Nunneries by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book The Control Agenda by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book Participation without Democracy by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book On the Irish Waterfront by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book The NGO Game by Davydd Greenwood
Cover of the book Women without Men by Davydd Greenwood
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