Too Clever for Our Own Good: Hidden Facets of Human Evolution

Too Clever for Our Own Good closely studies the phenomenon of "evolution through culture." Unlike the "evolution through genetics," typical in other creatures, this uniquely human process hinges upon making and using myriad cultural extensions of our own creation, devices both material and nonmaterial. These concrete and abstract cultural extensions, such as clothing, shelter, tools, language, ethics, and social organizations, have enormously enhanced our capacity for controlling nature, other people, and ourselves. The author draws upon his own background in the natural and social sciences to examine a wide array of human experiences, ranging from the use of concrete technological inventions to that of more symbolic extensions like logic, metaphor, and self-image. In this exploration, attention is called not only to the constructive power of these "tools," but also, and more significantly, to their often overlooked, negative consequences. The critical analysis of the role of cultural extensions in human evolution is relevant for both general readers and students or specialists in human sciences and education.