Explaining Human Origins Myth, Imagination and Conjecture [Hardcover]

This book argues the influence of Western folk ideas on human origin theories from the nineteenth century onwards.A palaeoanthropologist argues that theories of human origins developed by archaeologists and physical anthropologists from the early nineteenth century to the present day are structurally similar to Western folk theories, and to the speculations of earlier philosophers. Reviewing a remarkable range of thinkers writing in a variety of European languages, he criticises the lack of development in theories of human origins, but concludes optimistically that the power of the scientific approach will deliver more reliable theories--but only if it is conscious of the baggage it carries over from popular discourse.A palaeoanthropologist argues that theories of human origins developed by archaeologists and physical anthropologists from the early nineteenth century to the present day are structurally similar to Western folk theories, and to the speculations of earlier philosophers. Reviewing a remarkable range of thinkers writing in a variety of European languages, he criticises the lack of development in theories of human origins, but concludes optimistically that the power of the scientific approach will deliver more reliable theories--but only if it is conscious of the baggage it carries over from popular discourse.The author argues that theories of human origins developed by archaeologists and physical anthropologists from the early nineteenth century to the present day are structurally similar to Western folk theories, and to the speculations of earlier philosophers. Reviewing a remarkable range of thinkers writing in a variety of European languages, he criticizes the lack of development in theories of human origins, but concludes optimistically that the power of the scientific approach will deliver more reliable theories--only if it is conscious of the baggage it carries over from popular discourse.1. Introduction; 2. Prehistory and the conditioned imaginatilC)