Pagemaker 4: The Basics : Macintosh

Book Description

What, in evolutionary terms, propelled us to become human? The answer lies not in our forebears" big brains or their facility with language but in their ability to walk on two feet. That remarkable fact standing and walking seem so mundane -- only starts the drama that Craig Stanford, codirector of the Jane Goodall Research Center, tells of our origins. Today scientists are finding far more evidence than ever before about our beginnings. The discoveries are prompting dramatic reappraisals of common beliefs about our past. Throw out the simple idea that millions of years ago some apes moved to the African savanna, where they evolved into runty hominids who eventually metamorphosed into us. Dump that textbook image of an ape transforming into a human in five stages. Newly found remnants of two-legged "proto-humans" show that our ancestry is much richer and more convoluted. In no way can we still think of ourselves as standing on the top rung of an evolutionary ladder of excellence. But what about our tremendous thinking powers? Our brains could have started to grow because, as our ancestors adapted to standing and walking upright, they became more successful at hunting ever larger animals. The meatier diet could have fueled the increase in brain size. And the switch to standing and walking tall may have allowed our forebears to develop language, let alone take over the entire world as their home. Describing his - and others' - latest research and interpretations, Stanford offers a fresh, galvanizing take on what made us human.

Customer Reviews:

Foot fetish.......2004-10-12

Craig Stanford has studied chimpanzees for many years. He's seen them in groups and as individuals. He's watched them parading along tree limbs seeking fruit, or reaching up to pull branches close for harvest. He once saw one enter, then leave, a stream, "looking for all the world like a swimmer emerging from the surf". These studies have given him some insights to how our ancestors likely went from a four-legged posture to a bipedal lifestyle. It was a step of profound legacy for us. Bipedalism ultimately allowed humans to traverse the planet.

Stanford's studies have resulted in a work that relies strongly on changes in hominin anatomy. Bipedalism requires immense changes in skeletal structure, muscle placement and use, the formation of the pelvis, and, of course, the formation of the foot. These changes must be incremental, he reminds us. Bipedal walking wasn't an overnight transition. It took a great deal of experimentation by natural selection to achieve it. The question of balance loomed large throughout the process. Our modern bodies have a centre of gravity straight up from between our feet - the chimpanzee's is well forward in its midsection. It took many evolutionary trade-offs to change from one type of body structure to another. As the modifications occurred over many generations, the creature carrying them must survive and reproduce to pass these traits on. Was each step suitably sufficient in its own right?

In answering that question, Stanford takes us not only through the likely progression, but also reviews the scholarship attempting to explain them. He presents the views and counter arguments of the major thinkers explaining the human lineage. He makes clear that it took many years of study to recognise that bipedalism was the key to becoming human. To infer what slow, gradual steps were required to bring us upright from the paucity of fossils imparting information leaves many points unresolved. That gives researchers a broad spectrum of interpretations to offer, but few absolute answers. Stanford picks through the evidence and the viewpoints, then pronounces his verdict on the most viable scenario. He's clear on what he favours and why.

Some of his judgments are severe, and no few of them are open to question. Although he offers little of the early hominin social scene, he's quick to dispose of those who have. His assessment of Owen Lovejoy's scenario of sex playing a major role in leading us to an upright stance is grossly misleading. He accuses Lovejoy of positing a single cause for this change, when Lovejoy's analysis is anything but limited in scope. One can almost sense Adrienne Zihlman at his shoulder as he wrote the passage. Zihlman, a fanatical opponent of "women's roles" in paleoanthropology, is also a sharp critic of Lovejoy. Among chimpanzees, the gift of love is meat. Although Stanford recognises the role of meat protein in aiding in the building of brains, it most certainly played a greater role in our social development than he assigns to it. This brevity is surprising in view of his earlier books.

These shortcomings may be considered as no more than another academic dispute. That's only true in part. Bipedalism may be the significant foundation leading to modern humans, but there are other aspects of our lives today with roots in those ancestral changes. Why did we tend to pair off as mates when most other primates are male-dominated groups? Why did language evolve to give us enhanced communicative skills? What led us to use our bipedal skills to migrate so far, so rapidly? Stanford almost teases us with his sketchy explanations. Although this is an excellent summary of the issues and the personalities who have addressed them, it will take someone with a wider grasp and deeper insight to provide the most reasonable answers to how we became human. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

An interesting, thoughtful review.......2004-09-14

Craig Stanford's "Upright: The Evolutionary Key to Becoming Human" is a brief, easy and informative read. I've enjoyed Stanford's previous efforts, and this volume was no disappointment. He approaches the subject of human evolution from the perspective of a researcher studying living great apes, particularly chimpanzees. As such, he takes a distinctly different tack than students of bones and artifacts might. Stanford's discussions of anatomy involve comparisons of the differences between ape and human anatomy, followed by brief presentations of how the hominid fossil record tracks these shifts. His presentation is relaxed but thorough, and his data are quite up-to-date. But it's his deep knowledge of chimpanzee and bonobo behavior, and the application of this information to ancient human ancestry, where this book shines.

I was intrigued by Stanford's surmise that the initial impetus towards full erect bipedality may have been simply standing erect for brief moments while feeding and foraging. This seems awfully simplistic, yet not remotely inconceivable. (Leave it to evolution to take the boring way to get somewhere ...) Readers may wish to compare this view with that presented by Jonathan Kingdon in his book "Lowly Origin". I would observe, however, that Stanford's insistence that behavioral change precedes and drives anatomical change seems to leave the whole concept of mutations out of the loop.

What follows is a minor point, but I must confess to having been annoyed by the occasional obvious mistakes encountered throughout portions of the book. Whether these can be placed on Stanford's own doorstep, or that of his editor(s), remains to be determined. But to encounter so many simple errors -- not only typos, but actual factual mistakes -- does make one wonder whether there are other errata that one might be missing. In any event, these mistakes led me to conclude that this book was generated somewhat hastily; that's unfortunate. [For the record: it's Giganotosaurus, not "Gigantosaurus" (p. 64); it's Hadrosaurus, not "Hadrosaurs" (p. 64); the hind limbs of Eudibarmus are longer than the animal's forelimbs, not shorter (p. 65); the first species of paranthropine (= "robust" australopithecine) discovered was Paranthropus robustus, not "Zinj" (p. 74); people were living in Siberia very near Alaska by ~19,000 years ago (the book states that this was not true until 16,000 years after 25,000 years ago, or 9,000 years ago) (p. 170).]

Be that as it may, the book remains thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless. One could wish for a little more editorial time and care to have been taken, and perhaps for a few more pictures of actual fossils. But these are minor quibbles. Students of human evolution will have much to look forward to from this volume.

Standing led the way.......2004-02-23

Anthropologist and co-director of the Jane Goodall Primate Research Center, Craig Stanford argues that the first step in the march to humanity was upright posture.

Apes stand when it's advantageous, Stanford points out, taking examples from his field experience. They stand on branches as well as on the ground, the better to reach fruit in the trees. For our earliest ancestors, living in areas of mixed trees and grass, shuffling between trees would have been more efficient than dropping to all fours.

Stanford reminds us that evolution is not a straightforward progression towards something better, but rather a natural product of what works best for the animal's ability to reproduce. Where upright posture favored feeding and energy conservation, it persisted, with a gradual shift to greater bipedalism.

Bipedalism led to everything else. He theorizes that walking, by increasing efficiency over distance and freeing the hands, created better hunters, and the high caloric, protein diet helped fuel the expansion of the brain. He outlines the hunting strategies of the modern ape and how these may have evolved in early hominids.

Again and again he returns to the modern ape to compare behavior and anatomy, similarity and divergence, throughout the hominid fossil record. Bipedalism is an anatomical trade off. Our broad pelvis, backbone shape and large gluteal muscles give us stability and forward efficiency, and free the lungs from coordination with stride (eventually permitting speech), but decrease climbing ability, make childbirth difficult, and deliver a baggage of back problems.

The history of hominid research is one of many stories and few bones. Stanford traces this history, showing how new finds give rise to new, frequently opposing, theories, how the same scrap of bone can be described in starkly different terms by equally eminent and adamant scientists, how psychology, imagination, ambition, and graduate schools have as much (or more) to do with evolutionary views as hard evidence does. Stanford also looks at bipedalism in the big picture - dinosaurs - which had a wide range of bipedal habits without developing speech or big brains.

The writing is clear and well organized. Stanford ("Significant Others," "The Hunting Apes") paints a picture of an Africa teeming with variously bipedal hominids, most of which went extinct comparatively quickly. Others, made powerful by their two sturdy legs, spread out into the world, leaving fossilized remains to prove it. Then there's us, the last wave out of Africa, and the only ones left (according to mitochondrial DNA evidence). Are we the best? Or just the last ones left standing? A fascinating, concise and intelligent book.

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Beyond the Genesis vs. Geology dispute

Highly Recommended

Theology for a Scientific Age: Being and Becoming-Natural, Divine and Human (Theology and the Sciences)
Arthur Peacocke
Manufacturer: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0800627598

Customer Reviews:

Beyond the Genesis vs. Geology dispute.......2006-03-15

Genesis vs. Geology? Creationism vs. Darwinism? Religious ["spiritual'] people who accept Evolution do not have a dog in this fight. The ultimate encompassing Mystery beyond the reach of strict scientific tools seems to be using the chance and selection of evolution to progress to more desirable forms of being. [Rather be pig, paramecium, or person?] If you are interested is seeing how someone who rejects both dogmatic fundamentalisms--Biblical Literalism and Materialist metaphysics masquerading as pure science--can relate science and religion in what Ian Barbour calls creative dialogue and integration, this is a book for you.

Peacocke--trained scientist and theologian--shows the limitations of reductive scientism [scientific imperialism] and its inability to answer questions which arise at the limiting edges of legitimate scientific inquiry [e.g.: What was going on before the "Big Bang"? How do minds influence brains and bodies?] He suggests the clue to the nature of God's causal relation to the World is the mind-body relation in human persons. In both we have "top-down [rather than "bottom-up"] causation at work. More complex wholes exercise constraints upon simpler parts. He illuminates, but does not quite explain, what he calls the 'causal joint' between minds and bodies, and between God and the World. He finds panentheism helpful, but not altogether convincing. The fulfillment of human life is to participate with God in our sacramental universe [pp.342-45].

Highly Recommended.......2000-08-01

_Theology for a Scientific Age_ is easily one of the most rigorous, thorough, and wide-ranging attempts to engage historic Christian theology in light of recent advances in the sciences. As the subtitle suggests, the major thread which runs throughout the entire work is the transition from a static to a dynamic ontology -- substance vs. process, Being vs. Becoming. This fundamental philosophical shift has impacted every corner of theological thinking, and Peacocke takes great pains to elucidate the changes with rigor and detail.

Of particular note are the discussions regarding cognitive science and information theory. He suggests a model of top-down information input to describe God's activity in the physical universe -- not capriciously intervening and breaking the laws of nature, but respecting those laws and working within them to accomplish his purposes. The relationship between mind and brain is thoroughly explored, and applied by analogy to this model of divine action in the world. Even the thorny issue of the divinity of Christ is illuminated in a way that is deeply respectful of historic Christianity, while moving beyond the superstitions of popular piety. The discussion of St. John's logos as Meaning and Person is truly profound, deeply challenging to biblical literalists and scientific materialists alike.

Book Description

In this highly original book, Jason Hill defends a strong form of moral cosmopolitanism and lays the groundwork for a new view of the self. To achieve a radical cosmopolitan identity, he argues it may be necessary to forget aspects of one's racial and ethnic socialization. The idea of forgetting where one came from demands that morally recreated persons disown parts or even all of their cultures if these cultures are oppressive or denigrate human life. Hill draws on existentialism, developmental psychology, and his own experiences as a Caribbean immigrant to the United States to present a philosophy for the new millennium.

Customer Reviews:

This is a beautiful work........2005-03-15

I also had the wonderful oppurtunity of taking Dr. Jason D. Hill's multiculturalism class (ISP 200). He teaches the class with two texts, one of them being his own Becoming a Cosmopolitan. Dr Hill is a wonderful person, and his book is almost poetic in nature. He has a profound love for all of humanity and is a very admirable person.

His book inspires you to look beyond the boundaries of race, color, creed, nationality and gender, and accept everyone as constituents of the human race. Beauty is an intrinsic quality of all human beings, according to Hill.

His class at DePaul University and his book has given me a new way of seeing and interacting with other people: through moral cosmopolitanism.

This is a must read to get a full fledged idea of how inherently beautiful humanity is.

Awesome........2004-10-01

I actually had the pleasure of reading this book and discussing it with Jason Hill, the author himself. This was part of a course he taught through my university, DePaul. I must say Hill encompasses the very root of global political issues through a ideal, yet logical approach to Cosmopolitanism. Also, he looks great in black! I highly recommend this as a must-read.

Radical Lover of Humanity.......2000-06-21

This beautifully and poetically written book is perhaps the first of its kind. Hill, I believe has two purposes here. The first is the idea that all fights against racism, ethnocentrism and nationalism are doomed until one begins to question the legitimacy of and then fight against their root foundation: tribalism. It is tribalism that Hill feels is the real danger of the modern world and the root cause of, as he puts it, all the carnage and butchery of human existence.He refers to tribalism as a form of infantilism in which the need for parental protection is sublimated and mapped on to the nation/race or ethnos. He thinks that tribalism is evil because it demarcates a set of what he terms, arbitrary and morally irrelevant attributes of people and then use them as moral criteria in judging their worth and value as human beings. He believes that there is virtue in forgetting where we came from (we, meaning humans in general) not as a way of denying our history, but as a form of benevolence in showing that we are willing to open up ourselves to the process of "becoming" (Hill's coinage); to show that we don't take our starting points in life as absolutely defining us in who we have to be for the rest of our lives. The second purpose his book seems to fulfill is that of providing a psychological way of actually becoming a lover of humanity. He thinks the self has to be re-socilaized all over again and he sort of provides a blue-print for how it can actually be done. His ideas range from the notion of moral masking, to adopting the view of the self as a construct of narratives or stories. The end result he believes is one that will bring about a kind of radical self-invention and real comsmic freedom. This book will require careful reading. The author is a philosopher. But he has tried to write for a broad audience. I can't say for sure whether the world Jason Hill wishes to come into existence is really possible. He gives us litle advice on how on a political level a comsopolitan universe is possible. But on the personal level he has tried to communicate how, as he terms it, a radical soul transformation is possible.

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New Release A Must ~ Special Edition needed!
Excellent
Deserves the award it was given
7 Stars and more...
An Inspiration for Us All

Becoming Human; Being Human
Ali-Salaam
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1553950151
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Product Description

Ali-Salaam pens true inspirational short stories from Seattle to London...Baghdad to Tel Aviv...Cape Cod to Freetown. He has traveled the world to bring you heart felt inspiring stories that are thought provoking and life changing. He shares personal moments and introduces you to ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances; events that challenges the humanity of each and every one of us. Ali-Salaam\'s style and perspective as an American Muslim inspires the heart and mind. You will relive and share others profound personal transforming experiences.

Customer Reviews:

New Release A Must ~ Special Edition needed!.......2005-08-27

I stumbled across a copy of Becoming Human; Being Human at a friends house. I began to perusal this book musing that it was or would be a third rate written release of Muslim propaganda. Saying I was wrong is a mild understatement. I read the first twenty pages standing, another dozen or so more leaning against the door way. An hour later I was aborbed in the moment of the compassionate heroes in this book. I read it in one sitting. I am ready to accept my own responsibility in changing the world by changing how I live my life. This book is more relevant today, then when it was written. Five stars is not enough.

Excellent.......2003-04-08

This book is a book that will, without a dout make you think.

Deserves the award it was given.......2003-03-12

"Becoming Human; Being Human" by Ali-Salaam is an American Muslim perspective on today's issues. The book is a compilation of quotes and stories that examines the worlds' problems and crises through the eyes of the humans living through them. These disasters range from the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, and the civil wars and hunger that plague Africa, to the Palestinian /Israeli conflict. This book although non-fiction reads like a collection of well-told tales, some filled with the horror of war and conquest, others vibrating with the courage of the human spirit.

The first story "Sylvia" details the struggle of one woman against cancer and her prayer for a little more time to get to know the man her son has become. This is a story of a mother and son reconnecting and learning to appreciate each other once more.

In "Trapped In Iraq", we meet a young American Muslim woman living in daily terror in war torn Baghdad. As that ancient city is reduced to ruins around her by missiles and bombs, Sarah Iman fears for her life and the lives of her children. Her one hope is to somehow convince Saddam Hussein to let her take her children to visit their grandparents in the United States. We experience her fear as after many disappointments, she finally sits before Saddam and begins to plead her case.

In the story "a 9/11 hero", we witness the fear of a Pakistani Muslim American family as the authorities question them about the whereabouts of their son Mohammed. While the family struggles to defend their son's loyalty to America he lies dead among the ruins of the World Trade Center, another victim of terrorism like those he tried to rescue.

Other stories like "Children of The Prophets" and "Ta'ayush" paint a picture of Palestine before and after the establishment of modern Israel. The first is a story of a woman remembering a land without borders when Muslim and Jewish friends could travel from Jordan to Palestine to visit each other. The second is the story of a band of Jews, Muslims and Christians working together to restore peace in their homeland.

Other stories such as "Two Prayers", "Rebuilding The Lion Mountain", and "From Sea To Shining Sea" take us into the heart of the civil wars and hunger that plague Africa and the hopes that rebuild it. We also hear the author's admiring thoughts about his Moorish paternal ancestors and experience his anguish at the sufferings of his maternal West African ancestors at the hands of slave dealers.

Throughout the work Interspersed with these stories are the authors many thoughts on what it is to be human or to become human. He fills the pages between stories with observations both mundane and profound

I thought this book inspiring in parts and very well written. However, I did find the perspective sometimes too one sided. It is an American Muslim view, so it should show one dimension to the world's struggles. However, Ali-Salaam attempts to transcend this with many of his fine examples of what it means to be human or to become one. Therefore, I was disappointed to see the author present a more narrow view of certain situations. In "Ta'ayush" he spoke of the harshness, suffering and death the Israeli military assaults inflict on refugee camps. But he did not mention that the Israelis too are a people acting out of fear, the fear that suicide bombers instill in the ordinary people of Israel. They are also struggling to become human in the face of terror and death. The author speaks of himself as a Moorish prince and lists with pride the civilizing of Spain and other parts of Europe by the Moors. I also admire Moorish art, architecture and literature. However, I realize that it was forced upon Spain and other parts of Europe through invasion, conquest and death. We should never romanticize any conquest of other humans whether it took place in the 7th century or the 21st.

However, despite the above comments, I did find this book to be not just a wonderful collection of tales but also a marvelous philosophy of life. It did deserve The Rising Star Award from The Literary Guild.

7 Stars and more..........2003-02-23

If there were seven stars, I would have give this book seven or more...reading this book deeply moved me and caused me to reflect on my life and what I contribute to the world as a citizen. This book brought me tears and smiles, but most of all I am a better person for the experience. I had the privilede to hear Mr. Ali-Salaam speak before tens of thousands while visitng Seattle recently...His sincere conviction and vision for humanity is readily apparent. He was as dynamic in person as his words are on the printed page. A must read!*******

An Inspiration for Us All.......2003-02-23

A refreshing and insightful look at the meaning of life through the challenges of others. I found hope and a profound message through Ali-Salaam's provocative essays. The combination of true stories, his prose and voices of reknown from the past culiminate in an essential lesson on the meaning of life. I am recommending this book to all my friends and family. I hope to hear more from this truly inspired person.

Being and becoming human: essays on the biogram (Behavioral science series)

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Being and becoming human: essays on the biogram (Behavioral science series)
Earl W Count
Manufacturer: Van Nostrand Reinhold
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Being and Becoming Old (Perspectives on Aging and Human Development)

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Being and Becoming Old (Perspectives on Aging and Human Development)

Manufacturer: Baywood Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0895030144

Book Description

How does aging affect the interaction between people and their social environment? This intriguing book examines that question from various perspectives, exploring in detail the social and psychological dimensions of the aging process. Drawing on the insights of many disciplines, articles investigate such issues as subjectively evaluated age, facts influencing adjustment, and attitudes, projections, and perceptions of competence.

Being human--becoming human: An essay in Christian anthropology

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Being human--becoming human: An essay in Christian anthropology
Helmut Thielicke
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Humanitas; human becoming & being human
James B Ashbrook
Manufacturer: Abingdon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Jefes Dificiles / Nasty Bosses: Como Detener El Dano Que Nos Hacen Sin Rebajarnos a Su / How to Stop Being Hurt Without Becoming one of Them

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Jefes Dificiles / Nasty Bosses: Como Detener El Dano Que Nos Hacen Sin Rebajarnos a Su / How to Stop Being Hurt Without Becoming one of Them
Jay Carter
Manufacturer: Panorama Mexico
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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