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A Most Interesting Problem: What Darwin's Descent of Man Got Right and Wrong about Human Evolution - Paperback | Diverse Reads

A Most Interesting Problem: What Darwin's Descent of Man Got Right and Wrong about Human Evolution

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Leading scholars take stock of Darwin's ideas about human evolution in the light of modern science

In 1871, Charles Darwin published The Descent of Man, a companion to Origin of Species in which he attempted to explain human evolution, a topic he called "the highest and most interesting problem for the naturalist." A Most Interesting Problem brings together twelve world-class scholars and science communicators to investigate what Darwin got right—and what he got wrong—about the origin, history, and biological variation of humans.

Edited by Jeremy DeSilva and with an introduction by acclaimed Darwin biographer Janet Browne, A Most Interesting Problem draws on the latest discoveries in fields such as genetics, paleontology, bioarchaeology, anthropology, and primatology. This compelling and accessible book tackles the very subjects Darwin explores in Descent, including the evidence for human evolution, our place in the family tree, the origins of civilization, human races, and sex differences.

A Most Interesting Problem is a testament to how scientific ideas are tested and how evidence helps to structure our narratives about human origins, showing how some of Darwin's ideas have withstood more than a century of scrutiny while others have not.

A Most Interesting Problem features contributions by Janet Browne, Jeremy DeSilva, Holly Dunsworth, Agustín Fuentes, Ann Gibbons, Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Brian Hare, John Hawks, Suzana Herculano-Houzel, Kristina Killgrove, Alice Roberts, and Michael J. Ryan.

ISBN-13: 9780691242064

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Publication Date: 11-29-2022

Pages: 288

Product Dimensions: 5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

Jeremy DeSilva is associate professor of anthropology at Dartmouth College. He lives in Norwich, Vermont. Twitter @desilva_jerry

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A wonderful tribute to Charles Darwin's Descent of Man, full of admiration for the great naturalist but also unflinchingly critical in assessing how his ideas have weathered the decades. A must-read for every Darwin fan."—Angela Saini, author of Superior: The Return of Race Science

"A Most Interesting Problem is fun, animated, insightful, and startlingly up to date. In one expertly written chapter after another, it shows where Darwin was mostly right, partly right, or where he completely lost the plot. This book is not only a great read, it is living, breathing science."—Nina G. Jablonski, author of Living Color: The Biological and Social Meaning of Skin Color

"Reading these remarkable chapter-by-chapter analyses of Darwin's insights as well as how the science has changed over 150 years is inspiring. DeSilva has chosen his contributors well, bringing together subject-matter experts as well as talented science communicators. I enjoyed this book very much."—Eugenie C. Scott, author of Evolution vs. Creationism

"A Most Interesting Problem brilliantly summarizes what Darwin got right and wrong about human evolution, confronts how his ideas have inspired but also sometimes misguided generations since, and points the way forward for the next generation of inquiry. This is an indispensable companion for anyone interested in why humans are the way they are and why that matters."—Daniel E. Lieberman, author of Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding

"A compelling take on Darwin's Descent. A Most Interesting Problem brings together a team of authoritative voices who offer modern perspectives on the spectacular diversity of topics and issues raised by Darwin's famous book."—James T. Costa, author of Darwin's Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations xi

Preface Jeremy M. DeSilva xiii

Contributors xxiii

Introduction Janet Browne 1

1 The Fetus, the Fish Heart, and the Fruit Fly 24

A reflection on Darwin's Chapter 1: The Evidence of the Descent of Man from Some Lower Form Alice Roberts

2 Remarkable but Not Extraordinary: The Evolution of the Human Brain 46

A reflection on Darwin's Chapter 2: Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and the Lower Animals Suzana Herculano-Houzel

3 The Darwinian Road to Morality 63

A reflection on Darwin's Chapter 3; Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and the Lower Animals-continued Brian Hare

4 Charles Darwin and the Fossil Evidence for Human Evolution 82

A reflection on Darwin's Chapter 4: On the Manner of Development of Man from Some Lower Form Yohannes Haile-Selassie

5 A Century of Civilization, Intelligence, and (White) Nationalism 103

A reflection on Darwin's Chapter 5: On the Development of the Intellectual and Moral Faculties during Primeval and Civilised Times Kristina Killgrove

6 Ranking Humanity among the Primates 125

A reflection on Darwin's Chapter 6: On the Affinities and Genealogy of Man John Hawks

7 "On the Races of Man": Race, Racism, Science, and Hope 144

A reflection on Darwin's Chapter 7: On the Races of Man Agustín Fuentes

8 Resolving the Problem of Sexual Beauty 162

A reflection on Darwin's Part 1 (Chapters 8-18): Sexual Selection Michael J. Ryan

9 This View of Wife 183

A reflection on Darwin's Chapters 19 and 20: Secondary Sexual Characters of Man Holly Dunsworth

10 Dinner with Darwin: Sharing the Evidence Bearing on the Origin of Humans 204

A reflection on Darwin's Chapter 21: General Summary and Conclusion Ann Gibbons

Acknowledgments 223

Notes 225

Index 247