Bridge to Humanity: How Affect Hunger Trumps the Selfish Gene

By Walter Goldschmidt

Book Overview

The Bridge to Humanity: How Affect Hunger Trumps the Selfish Gene explores the relationship of biology and culture in the evolution of human behavior. Building upon several of the theoretical issues he first addressed in Man's Way, renowned anthropologist Walter Goldschmidt presents a unique look at how human culture functions through biological mechanisms that have evolved from our distant past.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195179668
• ISBN13: 9780195179668
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

An excellent meta-view of human evolution

In this book, Goldschmidt, an emeritus anthropologist, pulls together several strands of scientific work on genetics and cognition into a view of human evolution that provides some deep insights into what makes us human. One of the primary insights that he builds on is the recent discovery of mirror neurons, which allow us to learn through observation. Goldschmidt's idea that the evolution of language and tool making are related is also a valuable one. But most important is his overarching idea that affect hunger is the source of culture; that it is a biological need, yet one that connects us with others, and therefore encourages the cooperation and empathy that makes culture and civilzation possible.