A most interesting problem : what Darwin's Descent of man got right and wrong about human evolution / edited by Jeremy M. DeSilva ; with an introduction by Janet Browne.

Format:

• Book

Contributor:

• DeSilva, Jeremy, 1976- editor.
• JSTOR (Online Service)
• Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

• Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882. Descent of man.
• Sexual selection in animals.
• Sexual dimorphism (Animals).
• Sex differences.
• Human beings--Origin.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxv, 258 pages) : illustrations, maps

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2021]

System Details:

text file

Summary:

Leading scholars take stock of Darwin's ideas about human evolution in the light of modern science In 1871, Charles Darwin published The Descent of Man, a companion to Origin of Species in which he attempted to explain human evolution, a topic he called "the highest and most interesting problem for the naturalist." A Most Interesting Problem brings together twelve world-class scholars and science communicators to investigate what Darwin got right--and what he got wrong--about the origin, history, and biological variation of humans. Edited by Jeremy DeSilva and with an introduction by acclaimed Darwin biographer Janet Browne, A Most Interesting Problem draws on the latest discoveries in fields such as genetics, paleontology, bioarchaeology, anthropology, and primatology. This compelling and accessible book tackles the very subjects Darwin explores in Descent, including the evidence for human evolution, our place in the family tree, the origins of civilization, human races, and sex differences. A Most Interesting Problem is a testament to how scientific ideas are tested and how evidence helps to structure our narratives about human origins, showing how some of Darwin's ideas have withstood more than a century of scrutiny while others have not. A Most Interesting Problem features contributions by Janet Browne, Jeremy DeSilva, Holly Dunsworth, Agustín Fuentes, Ann Gibbons, Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Brian Hare, John Hawks, Suzana Herculano-Houzel, Kristina Killgrove, Alice Roberts, and Michael J. Ryan.

Contents:

• Introduction / Janet Browne
• The fetus, the fruit fly, and the fish heart : a reflection on Darwin's chapter 1. The evidence of the descent of man from some lower form / Alice Roberts
• Remarkable, but not extraordinary : the evolution of the human brain : a reflection on Darwin's chapter 2. Comparison of the mental powers of man and the lower animals / Suzana Herculano-Houzel
• The Darwinian road to morality : a reflection on Darwin's chapter 3. Comparison of the mental powers of man and the lower animals
• continued / Brian Hare
• Charles Darwin and the fossil evidence for human evolution : a reflection on Darwin's chapter 4. On the manner of development of man from some lower form / Yohannes Haile-Selassie
• A century of civilization, intelligence, and (white) nationalism : a reflection on Darwin's chapter 5. On the development of the intellectual and moral faculties during primeval and civilised times / Kristina Killgrove
• Ranking humanity among the primates : a reflection on Darwin's chapter 6. On the affinities and genealogy of man / John Hawks
• "On the races of man" : race, racism, science and hope : a reflection on Darwin's chapter 7. On the races of man / Agustín Fuentes
• Resolving the problem of sexual beauty : a reflection on Darwin's part II (chapters 8-18). Sexual selection / Michael J. Ryan
• This view of wife : a reflection on Darwin's chapters 19-20. Secondary sexual characters of man / Holly Dunsworth
• Dinner with Darwin: sharing the evidence bearing on the origin of humans : a reflection on Darwin's chapter 21. General summary and conclusion / Ann Gibbons.

Notes:

• Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Electronic reproduction. New York Available via World Wide Web.
• Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on January 20, 2021).

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Other Format:

Print version: A most interesting problem

ISBN:

• 9780691210810
• 0691210810

Publisher Number:

99986196469

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.

Online:

The Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund Home Page