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The Evolution of the Human Mind: From Supernaturalism to Naturalism - An Anthropological Perspective

by Robert L. Carneiro

This is the first single book to document the evolution in human thinking from a belief in supernaturalism to a belief in naturalism. The author shows how the ideas that people have held through the centuries about the world have developed from human experience - particularly during the last four hundred years - to the point today where, for the first time in human history, we see scientists in whom a belief in naturalism is complete and all-encompassing. As a philosopher of science, the author is concerned not so much with the ideas of particular individuals as he is with a system of ideas; as a cultural anthropologist, he is primarily interested in culture as the product of human thought.
506p (Eliot Werner Publications 2010)

Review Quotes

"Carneiro (American Museum of Natural History) traces the notion of 'a thoroughgoing belief in unalloyed supernaturalism toward an attitude in which naturalism played an increasingly greater role' from the Paleolithic to contemporary scientific thought. The soul had been seen early on as a supernatural, 'incorporeal, and immaterial' entity that survives death. In fits and starts, the naturalistic tendency progressed throughout the centuries, leading to a more thoroughgoing, scientific present. With the onset of modernity, fewer people believed in supernaturalism, and contemporary atheism became a credible worldview. Carneiro references some of the most recent and important thought arising from the latest atheistic battery: Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, and Hitchens, in particular, in regard to the controversy about the 'God gene.' The great debate today is between sociobiologists and cultural anthropologists to determine how much of human behavior and thought is genetically programmed and how much is culturally determined. Carneiro is firmly in the cultural camp, and longs for the day when humankind simply pursues truth and no longer seeks religious solace. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic levels/libraries.

G. M. Smith, Delaware County Community College
Choice (January 2011)

"I think the book is excellent. Easy to read – both because of its writing style and the layout in relatively brief sections. This makes it a pleasure to read – and the subject is so exhilarating!

A book to read and then keep for reference."

Open Parachute blog (Fall 2010)

"...this book is interesting and informative. It is a nicely written contribution to understanding the evolution of competing ideas."

Kenneth M. Weiss, Penn State University
Journal of Anthropological Research (2011)

"This book is a fine example of how pure anthropology can not only be relevant but powerful!

The Evolution of the Human Mind is a skillfully written book that you won’t regret buying. It is destined to be a classic. Carneiro makes direct statements that writers love to cite (and readers love to read). His publisher, Eliot Werner Publications, Inc., is proving to be one of the most interesting small presses to come around in awhile-- spend some time looking over what they have on offer!"

dirtbrothers.org (2011)

“An enormous achievement. Wherever I landed, whether it was the origin of ‘emergence,’ Einstein’s religion, the death of Platonic views of nature, or the strangely self-contradictory worldview of Julian Huxley, I learned something new. Wise, authoritative, and entertaining!” RICHARD MILNER, Author, Darwin’s Universe: Evolution from A to Z"

RICHARD MILNER
Author, Darwin’s Universe: Evolution from A to Z (2010)

About the Author

Robert L. Carneiro has been curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History for more than fifty years. His ethnographic fieldwork has been with Amazonian tribes. His other scientific research has focused on social evolution, especially on the origin of the state.

Prepublication Praise

“This insightful overview by a distinguished cultural anthropologist of how humans moved from animistic and supernatural views of the universe, spawned in the infancy of the species, to a naturalistic perspective based on science, is truly inspiring.” Paul Kurtz, State University of New York at Buffalo

Does God exist? What is clear is that theistic beliefs exist, and their origin and development are brilliantly illuminated here. Carneiro’s subtle but enlightening treatment will be a breath of fresh air for all who find answerable questions more interesting than unanswerable ones.” Robert Bates Graber, Truman State University

“Carneiro’s erudition is breathtaking as he explores the concept of the soul, the nature of animate supernatural creatures, the emergence of polytheism, and the rise of monotheism. The evolution of the human mind is handled magnificently in this compelling and original book.” Joyce Marcus, University of Michigan

An excerpt from this book is available

Preface & Table of Contents (49.4kb)

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