authors:
- Henrich, Joseph
content: 'The evolution of Homo sapiens and its predecessors was fundamentally based
  on the intimate and complex interplay of culture and biology. Human intelligence
  is not the single key to man''s dominion over nature; without a social and cultural
  context, intelligence is insufficient. This book persuasively makes the case for
  this bold and controversial thesis. The author Joseph Henrich, a researcher in the
  field of human evolutionary biology, has written a brilliant exposition of the basic
  questions and possible solutions in this vibrant research field. My views on the
  subject have been substantially modified by his arguments.


  In particular, I find his emphasis on the complexity of the process to be inspiring.
  In contrast to the general idea that there must be some single factor that is fundamentally
  responsible for the difference between the species Homo sapiens and its closest
  relatives, Henrich builds a case that many different factors are important, and
  that their interplay was essential in driving human evolution. Once the first tentative
  steps into man''s cultural addiction were taken, the playing field tilted, as it
  were, to favor even more culture, including social and political norms, eventually
  giving rise to the modern human society. Current human biology and society is the
  result of co-evolution between culture and biology since at least 2 million years.'
date: '2019-12-04'
edition:
  published: '2017'
  publisher: Princeton University Press
goodreads: '34928324'
html: '<p>The evolution of Homo sapiens and its predecessors was fundamentally based
  on the intimate and complex interplay of culture and biology. Human intelligence
  is not the single key to man''s dominion over nature; without a social and cultural
  context, intelligence is insufficient. This book persuasively makes the case for
  this bold and controversial thesis. The author Joseph Henrich, a researcher in the
  field of human evolutionary biology, has written a brilliant exposition of the basic
  questions and possible solutions in this vibrant research field. My views on the
  subject have been substantially modified by his arguments.</p>

  <p>In particular, I find his emphasis on the complexity of the process to be inspiring.
  In contrast to the general idea that there must be some single factor that is fundamentally
  responsible for the difference between the species Homo sapiens and its closest
  relatives, Henrich builds a case that many different factors are important, and
  that their interplay was essential in driving human evolution. Once the first tentative
  steps into man''s cultural addiction were taken, the playing field tilted, as it
  were, to favor even more culture, including social and political norms, eventually
  giving rise to the modern human society. Current human biology and society is the
  result of co-evolution between culture and biology since at least 2 million years.</p>

  '
isbn: '9780691178431'
language: en
lastmod: '2019-12-04'
path: /library/henrich-2015.html
published: '2015'
rating: 5
reference: Henrich 2015
reviewed: '2019-12-04'
subjects:
- favorites
- history
- human-evolution
- morality
- political-philosophy
- science
title: 'The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating
  Our Species, and Making Us Smarter'
type: book
year: 2015