The Hunting Apes : Meat Eating and the Origins of Human Behavior

What makes humans unique? What makes us the most successful animal species inhabiting the Earth today? Most scientists agree that the key to our success is the unusually large size of our brains. Our large brains gave us our exceptional thinking capacity and led to humans' other distinctive characteristics, including advanced communication, tool use, and walking on two legs. Or was it the other way around? Did the challenges faced by early humans push the species toward communication, tool use, and walking and, in doing so, drive the evolutionary engine toward a large brain? In this provocative new book, Craig Stanford presents an intriguing alternative to this puzzling question--an alternative grounded in recent, groundbreaking scientific observation. According to Stanford, what made humans unique was meat. Or, rather, the desire for meat, the eating of meat, the hunting of meat, and the sharing of meat. Based on new insights into the behavior of chimps and other great apes, our now extinct human ancestors, and existing hunting and gathering societies, Stanford shows the remarkable role that meat has played in these societies. Perhaps because it provides a highly concentrated source of protein--essential for the development and health of the brain--meat is craved by many primates, including humans. This craving has given meat genuine power--the power to cause males to form hunting parties and organize entire cultures around hunting. And it has given men the power to manipulate and control women in these cultures. Stanford argues that the skills developed and required for successful hunting and __especially__ the sharing of meat spurred the explosion of human brain size over the past 200,000 years. He then turns his attention to the ways meat is shared within primate and human societies to argue that this all-important activity has had profound effects on basic social structures that are still felt today. Sure to spark a lively debate, Stanford's argument takes the form of an extended essay on human origins. The book's small format, helpful illustrations, and moderate tone will appeal to all readers interested in those fundamental questions about what makes us human.

What makes humans unique? What makes us the most successfulanimal species inhabiting the Earth today? Most scientists agreethat the key to our success is the unusually large size of ourbrains. Our large brains gave us our exceptional thinking capacityand led to humans' other distinctive characteristics, includingadvanced communication, tool use, and walking on two legs. Or wasit the other way around? Did the challenges faced by early humanspush the species toward communication, tool use, and walking and,in doing so, drive the evolutionary engine toward a large brain? Inthis provocative new book, Craig Stanford presents an intriguingalternative to this puzzling question--an alternative grounded inrecent, groundbreaking scientific observation. According toStanford, what made humans unique was meat. Or, rather, the desirefor meat, the eating of meat, the hunting of meat, and the sharingof meat. Based on new insights into the behavior of chimps andother great apes, our now extinct human ancestors, and existinghunting and gathering societies, Stanford shows the remarkable rolethat meat has played in these societies. Perhaps because itprovides a highly concentrated source of protein--essential for thedevelopment and health of the brain--meat is craved by manyprimates, including humans. This craving has given meat genuinepower--the power to cause males to form hunting parties andorganize entire cultures around hunting. And it has given men thepower to manipulate and control women in these cultures. Stanfordargues that the skills developed and required for successfulhunting and especially the sharing of meat spurred theexplosion of human brain size over the past 200,000 years. He thenturns his attention to the ways meat is shared within primate andhuman societies to argue that this all-important activity has hadprofound effects on basic social structures that are still felttoday. Sure to spark a lively debate, Stanford's argument takes theform of an extended essay on human origins. The book's smallformat, helpful illustrations, and moderate tone will appeal to allreaders interested in those fundamental questions about what makesus human.

What makes humans unique? What makes us the most successful animal species inhabiting the Earth today? Most scientists agree that the key to our success is the unusually large size of our brains. Our large brains gave us our exceptional thinking capacity and led to other distinctive characteristics, including advanced communication, tool use, and walking on two legs. Or was it the other way around? Did the challenges faced by early humans push the species toward communication, tool use, and walking and, in doing so, drive the evolutionary engine toward a large brain? In this provocative new book, Craig Stanford presents an intriguing alternative to this puzzling question - an alternative grounded in recent, groundbreaking scientific observation. According to Stanford, what made humans unique was meat. Or, rather, the desire for meat, and the eating, hunting, and sharing of meat. Based on new insights into the behavior of chimps and other great apes, our now extinct human ancestors, and existing hunting and gathering societies, Stanford shows the remarkable role that meat has played in these societies. Sure to spark a lively debate, Stanford's argument takes the form of an extended essay on human origins. The book's small format, helpful illustrations, and moderate tone will appeal to all readers interested in those fundamental questions about what makes us human.

the 'man The Hunter' Model Of The 1960s Was Simultaneously One Of The Most Influential And Reviled Of Ideas About Human Origins. It Fell Easy Victim To Numerous Criticisms (drawn Especially From Work On Chimpanzees), And Dropped From Favor During The 1970s. There Was, However, A Baby In That Bath And Stanford Has Rescued It, Dried It Off, And Refined It With Volumes Of New Data And Theory. The Result Is A Sophisticated And Provocative Synthesis Of ëman The Hunterí And Chimpanzee Behavioral Ecology.—jim Moore, University Of California, San Diego

stanford's Essay Neatly Captures The Powerful Role That Hunting Has Played In Human Evolution And In The Minds Of Evolutionists.—richard Wrangham, Harvard University, Author Of demonic Males: Apes And The Originis Of Human Violence

times Literary Supplement - Deborah L. Manzolillo

anyone Who Would Like To Review All Of The Arguments On Human Origins Should Read the Hunting Apes This Book Will Go A Long Way In Explaining Why Physical Anthropologists And Their Colleagues Fight So Much.

"What makes humans the most successful animal species inhabiting the Earth today? Most scientists agree that the key to our success is the unusually large size of our brains. In this provocative book, Craig Stanford presents an intriguing alternative to this puzzling question -- an alternative grounded in recent, pathbreaking scientific observation. According to Stanford, what made humans unique was meat -- specifically, the hunting and sharing of meat. Based on new insights into the behavior of chimps and other great apes, our now extinct human ancestors, and existing hunting and gathering societies, Stanford shows the remarkable role that meat has played in these societies. Book jacket."--Jacket What makes humans unique? This work presents an alternative to this puzzling question. Based on insights into the behavior of chimps and other great apes, our now extinct human ancestors, and existing hunting and gathering societies, it shows the remarkable role that meat has played in these societies. Stanford examines great ape behavior and hunter-gatherer societies to support his hyothisis that the hunting, eating and sharing of meat drove human evolution