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Hierarchy in the Forest : The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior
Hierarchy in the Forest The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior Author:Christopher Boehm Are humans by nature hierarchical or egalitarian? Hierarchy in the Forest addresses this question by examining the evolutionary origins of social and political behavior. Tracing our contradictory egalitarian and despotic traits to their roots in chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, and early human societies, Christopher Boehm extends the domain of biolo... more »gical anthropology and evolutionary biology into a new realm: the evolutionary basis of genuine altruism. "This well-written book . . . raises two general questions: 'What is an egalitarian society?' and 'How have these societies evolved?' . . . [Boehm] takes the reader on a journey from the Arctic to the Americas, from Australia to Africa, in search of hunter-gatherer and tribal societies that emanate the egalitarian ethos—one that promotes generosity, altruism and sharing but forbids upstartism, aggression and egoism. Throughout this journey, Boehm tantalizes the reader with vivid anthropological accounts . . . An interesting and thought-provoking book that is surely an important contribution to perspectives on human sociality and politics." —Ryan Earley, American Scientist "[The arguments] are original, persuasive and richly supported by examples from Boehm's personal experience, observations, and mastery of ethnographic literature." —Adrienne Zihlman, Nature Christopher Boehm is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Jane Goodall Research Center at the University of Southern California.« less