Somewhere in Africa, more than a million years ago, a line of
apes began to rear their young differently than their Great Ape
ancestors. From this new form of care came new ways of engaging and
understanding each other. How such singular human capacities
evolved, and how they have kept us alive for thousands of
generations, is the mystery revealed in this bold and wide-ranging
new vision of human emotional evolution.
"Mothers and Others" finds the key in the primatologically
unique length of human childhood. If the young were to survive in a
world of scarce food, they needed to be cared for, not only by
their mothers but also by siblings, aunts, fathers, friends and,
with any luck, grandmothers. Out of this complicated and contingent
form of childrearing, Sarah Hrdy argues, came the human capacity
for understanding others. Mothers and others teach us who will
care, and who will not.
From its opening vision of apes on a plane; to descriptions of
baby care among marmosets, chimpanzees, wolves, and lions; to
explanations about why men in hunter-gatherer societies hunt
together, "Mothers and Others" is compellingly readable. But it is
also an intricately knit argument that ever since the Pleistocene,
it has taken a village to raise children and how that gave our
ancient ancestors the first push on the path toward becoming
emotionally modern human beings.
General
Imprint: |
The Belknap Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
April 2011 |
First published: |
2009 |
Authors: |
Sarah Blaffer Hrdy
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 155 x 22mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
422 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-674-06032-6 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
Sociology, social studies >
General
|
LSN: |
0-674-06032-6 |
Barcode: |
9780674060326 |
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