The Ape that Understood the Universe: How the Mind and Culture Evolve

If you've ever been told something is a "social construct" or offered "the patriarchy" by way of an explanation then you might wonder what scientific weight these concepts hold. The Ape that Understood the Universe tests common assumptions against the evidence and examines the forces that drive cultural change.What sets the book apart is the genial writing style; even the paperback version is fairly sturdy and can seem a bit daunting at first, but once past the introduction all formalities are out. As we begin, we take the view of an alien anthropologist studying earthly business from above, this serves as a neat device for considering broader trends while providing opportunity for some Douglas Adams style wit.For added interest, much of the detail is kept relevant to the everyday, even as we get up to speed with Darwin and "the greatest idea anyone has ever had" we rarely lose sight of how it fits with common experience -and once acquainted with the dynamics of natural selection we're ready to explore the evolution of the mind.Those allergic to jargon need not be put off, the clarity of reasoning keeps the ideas accessible. Instead of feeling swamped with technical clauses and data, our time is rewarded with a crisp, clear view of society and how it takes shape, conspiracy theories and political constructs seem quaint as we apply the principles of natural selection to ideas and behaviour.It's somewhat cathartic to learn that much of human society is a lot of monkey business, and here we have the ideal field guide, because not only do we find out "how mind and culture evolve" we soon discover how mind and culture have not nearly evolved enough.

I have increasingly become interested in evolutionary psychology. I am a social worker, and our training is heavily steeped in socio-cultural explanations for psych-social development, but I am realising how much relevance ideas from evolutionary psychology has for understanding human development and behaviour. In this book Steve Stewart-Williams provides a highly accessible, engaging and informative overview of evolutionary psychology. He does an excellent job of providing a balanced and fair overview, exploring the counter-arguments to evolutionary ideas, namely those who consider nurture to be the only influencing factor on human development. As someone who is relatively new in developing my understanding of the field I found this book superb. Highly recommend.

Very enlightening book - well researched and well argued yet with an almost conversational style of writing that makes it more accessible to non academics.

used for reading

Quality read