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Inheritance

The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World
By Harvey Whitehouse
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Brief Description
Insightful and breathtaking . . . Explains some of our species' greatest successes and failures. โ€” Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens How our evolved psychology has shaped the past, present and future of humanity. Each of us is endowed with an inheritance. A set of... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Insightful and breathtaking . . . Explains some of our species' greatest successes and failures. โ€” Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens

How our evolved psychology has shaped the past, present and future of humanity.

Each of us is endowed with an inheritance. A set of ancient biases, forged through countless millennia of natural and cultural selection, which shape every facet of our behaviour. For generations, this inheritance has taken us to ever greater heights. But now, for the first time, it is failing usโ€”with devastating implications for humanity.

In Inheritance, renowned anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse offers a sweeping account of how our evolved biases have shaped humanity's past and imperil its future. Unveiling a pioneering new way of viewing our collective historyโ€”one that weaves together psychological experiments, on-the-ground fieldwork, and big dataโ€”Whitehouse introduces three biases that shape human behaviour everywhere: conformism, religiosity, and tribalism.

These biases have catalysed the greatest transformations in human history, from the birth of agriculture, to the rise and fall of human sacrifice, to the creation of the first multiethnic empires. Yet today, they are driving us to ruin. Taking us deep into New Guinea tribes, Libyan militias, and predatory ad agencies, Whitehouse shows how the tools we once used to manage our biases are breaking down, with disastrous consequences for us all.

By uncovering how human nature has shaped our collective history, Inheritance reveals a surprising new path to solving our most urgent problems. The result is a powerful reappraisal of the human journey; one that transforms our understanding of who we are, and who we could be.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529152234

Publisher: Cornerstone

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 13 June 2024

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Hutchinson Heinemann

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 33.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 235.0mm

Weight: 449g

Pages: 368

Collections

Education & Reference Harvey Whitehouse History & Archaeology History & Military Non-Fiction Penguin Books Science & Nature

About the Author

Professor Harvey Whitehouse is Chair of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford and Director of the Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion. One of the world's leading experts on the evolutionary basis of human culture, Whitehouse's work has featured in the Telegraph, Guardian, Scientific American and New Scientist, and he has delivered talks at the World Economic Forum and the United Nations. He lives in Oxford.

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