Evolution and Social Life

The concept of evolution is central in anthropology, although the meaning of the term is open to debate. This book examines the ways in which the idea of evolution has been handled in anthropology from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, and by comparing biological, historical, and anthropological approaches to the study of human culture and social life, it lays the foundation for their effective synthesis. Unique in its scope and breadth of theoretical vision, and cutting across the boundaries of natural science and the humanities, it is a major contribution both to the history of anthropological and social thought, and to the contemporary debate on the relationship between human nature, culture, and social life.