Interrogating Human Origins

Interrogating Human Origins encourages new critical engagements with the study of human origins, broadening the range of approaches to bring in postcolonial theories, and begin to explore the decolonisation of this complex topic. The collection of chapters presented in this volume creates spaces for expansion of critical and unexpected conversations about human origins research. Authors from a variety of disciplines and research backgrounds, many of whom have strayed beyond their usual disciplinary boundaries to offer their unique perspectives, all circle around the big questions of what it means to be and become human. Embracing and encouraging diversity is a recognition of the deep complexities of human existence in the past and the present, and it is vital to critical scholarship on this topic. This book constitutes a starting point for increased interrogation of the important and wide-ranging field of research into human origins. It will be of interest to scholars across multiple disciplines, and particularly to those seeking to understand our ancient past through a more diverse lens.

"Human Origins" by S. Laing is an intellectual voyage that delves profoundly into the intricate tapestry of human evolution and our origins. Laing's methodical scientific approach, coupled with his engaging and accessible writing style, invites readers on a captivating journey through the annals of time. Within these pages, readers embark on an exploration of our distant ancestors and the profound roots of our existence. Laing skillfully pieces together the puzzle of human origins, shedding light on the remarkable journey that has led to our present-day species. With each chapter, readers gain a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of life on Earth and the fascinating evolutionary milestones that have shaped humanity. "Human Origins" is not just a book; it is an enlightening odyssey that fuels our curiosity, encouraging us to ponder the intricate web of life and our place within it. Laing's work is a testament to the enduring quest for knowledge and the exhilaration of discovery, making this book an essential read for anyone curious about our remarkable journey as a species.

This history of human origin studies covers a wide range of disciplines. This important new study analyses a number of key episodes from palaeolithic archaeology, palaeoanthropology, primatology and evolutionary theory in terms of various ideas on how one should go about such reconstructions and what, if any, the uses of such historiographical exercises can be for current research in these disciplines. Their carefully argued point is that studying the history of palaeoanthropological thinking about the past can enhance the quality of current research on human origins. The main issues in the present volume are the uses of disciplinary history in terms of present-day research concerns, the relative weight of cultural and other 'external' contexts, and continuity and change in theoretical perspectives. The book's overall approach is an epistemological one. It does not, in other words, primarily address anthropological data as such, but our ways of handling such data in terms of our most fundamental, but usually quite implicit theoretical presuppositions.

Discusses the scientific research which led to the theories of human origian, including the contributions of Charles Darwin, Thomas Henry Huxley, and Louis Leakey.

Ever since Charles Darwin first published The Origin of Species on November 24, 1859, the subject of origins has been one of the most controversial topics around. Sadly, it also is a subject that is fraught with erroneous theories and concepts. Most students today are taught that organic evolution is not a theory, but a "fact" that all "reputable scientists" accept. Disclaimers from the evolutionary community notwithstanding, such a claim is, quite simply, wrong. We believe it is time for someone to offer what renowned news commentator Paul Harvey would call "the rest of the story." That is what The Truth About Human Origins does. It tells the rest of the story as it discusses the scientific facts about mankind's beginning. For example, it investigates the "record of the rocks" as that record relates to human evolution. It demonstrates how evolutionary theory is unable to explain things like the origin of gender and sexual reproduction, the origin of language and communication, the origin of the brain, the mind, and human consciousness, and the origin of skin colors and blood types. It also examines in an in-depth fashion the so-called "molecular evidence" of human evolution.

While those who study human origins now agree that the evolution of modern human form extends back much further in time than the evolution of modern human behavior, they disagree sharply as to how to interpret the substantive data. Two fundamentally incommensurate interpretations of our origins, the "Replacement" camp and the "Continuity" camp, have now emerged out of pre-existing models and theories that go back to the last quarter of the 19th century. This book contends that these positions are based on radically different biases and assumptions about what the remote human past was like. The purpose of this volume is to examine those conceptual differences, not to arrive at a consensus, but rather to explore the reasons why a consensus might never be possible.

This second volume reports another twenty interviews with scholars at the forefront of human evolution research, covering the broad scientific themes of Palaeolithic archaeology, palaeoanthropology and biological anthropology, earth science and palaeoclimatic change, evolutionary anthropology and primatology, and human disease co-evolution.