On the Origins of Human Emotions: A Sociological Inquiry Into the Evolution of Human Affect

Stanford, CA.: Stanford University Press, 2000. Scholarly highly acclaimed text presents a multidisciplinary approach to the sociological perspective that is informed by evolutionary biology, primatology, and neurology. This book examines the current neurological bases of our emotional repertoire and their implications for our social actions. Language and culture are often seen as unique characteristics of human beings. In this book the author argues that our ability to use a wide array of emotions evolved long before spoken language and, in fact, constituted a preadaptation for the speech and culture that developed among later hominids. Long before humans could speak with words, they communicated through body language their emotional dispositions; and it is the neurological wiring of the brain for these emotional languages that represented the key evolutionary breakthrough for our species. The challenge for natural selection was to enhance traits in the species that would foster the social ties necessary for survival in the new environment. The author suggests that the result was a development of certain areas of the primate brain that encouraged strong emotional ties, allowing our ancestors to build higher levels of social solidarity. Our basic neurological wiring continues to reflect this adaptive development. 189 pgs. Illustrated. Dustjacket in mylar. . First Edition. Hard Cover. As New/As New. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.