The secret of our success: how culture is driving human evolution, domesticating our species, and making us smarter
Description
Humans are a puzzling species. On the one hand, we struggle to survive on our own in the wild, often failing to overcome even basic challenges, like obtaining food, building shelters, or avoiding predators. On the other hand, human groups have produced ingenious technologies, sophisticated languages, and complex institutions that have permitted us to successfully expand into a vast range of diverse environments. What has enabled us to dominate the globe, more than any other species, while remaining virtually helpless as lone individuals? This book shows that the secret of our success lies not in our innate intelligence, but in our collective brains—on the ability of human groups to socially interconnect and learn from one another over generations. Drawing insights from lost European explorers, clever chimpanzees, mobile hunter-gatherers, neuroscientific findings, ancient bones, and the human genome, Joseph Henrich demonstrates how our collective brains have propelled our species' genetic evolution and shaped our biology. Our early capacities for learning from others produced many cultural innovations, such as fire, cooking, water containers, plant knowledge, and projectile weapons, which in turn drove the expansion of our brains and altered our physiology, anatomy, and psychology in crucial ways. Later on, some collective brains generated and recombined powerful concepts, such as the lever, wheel, screw, and writing, while also creating the institutions that continue to alter our motivations and perceptions. Henrich shows how our genetics and biology are inextricably interwoven with cultural evolution, and how culture-gene interactions launched our species on an extraordinary evolutionary trajectory. Tracking clues from our ancient past to the present, The Secret of Our Success explores how the evolution of both our cultural and social natures produce a collective intelligence that explains both our species' immense success and the origins of human uniqueness.
More Details
ISBN:
9781400873296
More Copies In Prospector
Loading Prospector Copies...
Staff View
Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 29a166a4-2a0e-f8a5-eaa4-1f698459dbb2 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | secret of our success how culture is driving human evolution domesticating our species and making us smarter |
Grouping Author | joseph henrich |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2025-02-17 10:50:44AM |
Last Indexed | 2025-03-10 23:18:16PM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Henrich, Joseph
author_display
Henrich, Joseph
available_at_adams
ASU Electronic Access
collection_adams
ebrary
detailed_location_adams
ASU Electronic Access
display_description
Humans are a puzzling species. On the one hand, we struggle to survive on our own in the wild, often failing to overcome even basic challenges, like obtaining food, building shelters, or avoiding predators. On the other hand, human groups have produced ingenious technologies, sophisticated languages, and complex institutions that have permitted us to successfully expand into a vast range of diverse environments. What has enabled us to dominate the globe, more than any other species, while remaining virtually helpless as lone individuals? This book shows that the secret of our success lies not in our innate intelligence, but in our collective brains—on the ability of human groups to socially interconnect and learn from one another over generations. Drawing insights from lost European explorers, clever chimpanzees, mobile hunter-gatherers, neuroscientific findings, ancient bones, and the human genome, Joseph Henrich demonstrates how our collective brains have propelled our species' genetic evolution and shaped our biology. Our early capacities for learning from others produced many cultural innovations, such as fire, cooking, water containers, plant knowledge, and projectile weapons, which in turn drove the expansion of our brains and altered our physiology, anatomy, and psychology in crucial ways. Later on, some collective brains generated and recombined powerful concepts, such as the lever, wheel, screw, and writing, while also creating the institutions that continue to alter our motivations and perceptions. Henrich shows how our genetics and biology are inextricably interwoven with cultural evolution, and how culture-gene interactions launched our species on an extraordinary evolutionary trajectory. Tracking clues from our ancient past to the present, The Secret of Our Success explores how the evolution of both our cultural and social natures produce a collective intelligence that explains both our species' immense success and the origins of human uniqueness.
format_adams
eBook
format_category_adams
eBook
id
29a166a4-2a0e-f8a5-eaa4-1f698459dbb2
isbn
9781400873296
itype_adams
E-book
last_indexed
2025-03-11T05:18:16.491Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
owning_library_adams
Adams State University Online
owning_location_adams
ASU Electronic Access
primary_isbn
9781400873296
publishDate
2015
2016
2016
publisher
Princeton University Press
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Behavior evolution
Electronic books
Human evolution
Nonfiction
Psychology
Science
Social evolution
Electronic books
Human evolution
Nonfiction
Psychology
Science
Social evolution
title_display
The secret of our success : how culture is driving human evolution, domesticating our species, and making us smarter
title_full
The secret of our success : how culture is driving human evolution, domesticating our species, and making us smarter / Joseph Henrich
The secret of our success [electronic resource] : How culture is driving human evolution, domesticating our species, and making us smarter. Joseph Henrich
The secret of our success [electronic resource] : How culture is driving human evolution, domesticating our species, and making us smarter. Joseph Henrich
title_short
The secret of our success
title_sub
how culture is driving human evolution, domesticating our species, and making us smarter
topic_facet
Behavior evolution
Human evolution
Nonfiction
Psychology
Science
Social evolution
Human evolution
Nonfiction
Psychology
Science
Social evolution
Solr Details Tables
item_details
Bib Id | Item Id | Shelf Location | Call Num | Format | Format Category | Num Copies | Is Order Item | Is eContent | eContent Source | eContent URL | Detailed Status | Last Checkin | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
external_econtent:ils:.b53035707 | .i113621516 | ASU Electronic Access | eBook | eBook | 1 | false | true | ebrary | https://adams.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/adamsstate-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4001523 | Available Online | asea | ||
overdrivecmc:ODN0002197356 | ODN0002197356 | Overdrive (CMC) | Online Overdrive (CMC) | eBook | eBook | 1 | false | true | Overdrive (CMC) | http://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=162&titleID=2197356 | Available Online | Overdrive (CMC) |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
external_econtent:ils:.b53035707 | eBook | eBook | English | Princeton University Press | 2016 | 1 online resource (465 pages) : illustrations | ||
overdrivecmc:ODN0002197356 | eBook | eBook | English | 2015 | 1 online resource |
scoping_details_adams
Bib Id | Item Id | Grouped Status | Status | Locally Owned | Available | Holdable | Bookable | In Library Use Only | Library Owned | Is Home Pick Up Only | Holdable PTypes | Bookable PTypes | Home Pick Up PTypes | Local Url |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
external_econtent:ils:.b53035707 | .i113621516 | Available Online | Available Online | false | true | false | false | false | true | false |