authors:
- Dunbar, Robin
content: 'A thought-provoking review of the evolutionary development of Homo sapiens
  from the last common ancestor of the hominins about 6 million years ago. The story
  is built on comparisons of the other primates, fossil evidence, and inferences on
  levels of sociality from various sources. The differing hypotheses of e.g. when
  fire came under routine control are discussed. It is sometimes difficult to follow
  what is the generally accepted opinion of the scientific community, and what is
  the opinion of the author in controversial topics.


  The author makes the case that laughter and music have social roots and likely preceded
  language, and also discusses the evolutionary roots of religion. The author''s use
  of a time budget model that tries to capture the temporal constraints of ecological
  niche, foraging and social activities and their consequences for the interpretation
  of various other evidence. The point is that the importance of one specific activity
  has consequences for the role of other activities. It must all fit together, which
  puts limits on which combination of activities are possible.'
date: '2018-03-06'
edition:
  published: '2014'
  publisher: Pelican
goodreads: '20702301'
html: '<p>A thought-provoking review of the evolutionary development of Homo sapiens
  from the last common ancestor of the hominins about 6 million years ago. The story
  is built on comparisons of the other primates, fossil evidence, and inferences on
  levels of sociality from various sources. The differing hypotheses of e.g. when
  fire came under routine control are discussed. It is sometimes difficult to follow
  what is the generally accepted opinion of the scientific community, and what is
  the opinion of the author in controversial topics.</p>

  <p>The author makes the case that laughter and music have social roots and likely
  preceded language, and also discusses the evolutionary roots of religion. The author''s
  use of a time budget model that tries to capture the temporal constraints of ecological
  niche, foraging and social activities and their consequences for the interpretation
  of various other evidence. The point is that the importance of one specific activity
  has consequences for the role of other activities. It must all fit together, which
  puts limits on which combination of activities are possible.</p>

  '
isbn: '9780141975313'
language: en
lastmod: '2018-03-06'
path: /library/dunbar-2014.html
published: '2014'
rating: 4
reference: Dunbar 2014
reviewed: '2018-03-06'
subjects:
- evolution
- human-evolution
- science
title: 'Human Evolution: A Pelican Introduction'
type: book
year: 2014