Essential building blocks of human nature

To understand why we humans are as we are, it is necessary to look at the essential building blocks that comprise our nature. The foundations of this structure are our evolutionary origins as primates and our social roots. Upon theserest features such as our emotions, language and aesthetic preferences, with our self-perceptions, self-deceptions and thirst for knowledge right at the top. The unifying force holding these blocks together is evolutionary theory. Evolution provides a deeper understanding of human nature and, in particular, ofthe common roots of these different perspectives. To build a reliable and coherent model of man, leading authors from fields as diverse as primatology, anthropology, neurobiology and philosophy have joined forces to present essays each describing their own expert perspective. Together they provide a convincingand complete picture of our own human nature. Synthesizes the essence of human nature by combining the knowledge from many different fields of science Answers fundamental questions about human nature Provides thorough summary of human evolution Has implications for a new image of humanity Sheds light on controversial issues, including free will and religion Represents a synthesis of sociobiological findings INDICE: Our origins: What makes us different from apes?.- Our Children: Parental Decisions - How Much to Invest in Your Offspring.- Our Social Roots : How the Local Ecology Shapes our Social Structures.- Our Emotions Explaining emotions – Reducing a complex Phenomenon.- Our morality: Cooperation and Cultural Differences.- Our Preferences: Why We Like What We Like.- Our Appetite for Information: Ancestral Brains in Modern Environments – The Influences of Media.-Our Best Shot at Truth: Why Humans Evolved Mathematical Abilities.- Our Way to Understand the World: Evolutionary Humanism – A World Without God.- Index.

• ISBN: 978-3-642-13967-3
• Editorial: Springer
• Encuadernacion: Cartoné
• Páginas: 160
• Fecha Publicación: 01/11/2010
• Nº Volúmenes: 1
• Idioma: Inglés