Transcendence : how humans evolved through fire, language, beauty, and time / Gaia Vince.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vince, Gaia, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social history.

Evolutionary psychology.

Human evolution.

Physical Description:

viii, 335 pages ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Basic Books, 2020.

Summary:

What enabled us to go from simple stone tools to smartphones? How did bands of hunter-gatherers evolve into multinational empires? Readers of Sapiens will say a cognitive revolution -- a dramatic evolutionary change that altered our brains, turning primitive humans into modern ones -- caused a cultural explosion. In Transcendence, Gaia Vince argues instead that modern humans are the product of a nuanced coevolution of our genes, environment, and culture that goes back into deep time. She explains how, through four key elements -- fire, language, beauty, and time -- our species diverged from the evolutionary path of all other animals, unleashing a compounding process that launched us into the Space Age and beyond. Provocative and poetic, Transcendence shows how a primate took dominion over nature and turned itself into something marvelous.

Contents:

Genesis: Conception

Birth

Fire: Landscaping

Brain building

Cultural levers

Word: Story

Language

Telling

Beauty: Belonging

Trinkets and treasures

Builders

Time: Timekeepers

Reason

Homni.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780465094905

0465094902

OCLC:

1135349828