In the tradition of Jared Diamond's million-copy-selling classic Guns, Germs, and Steel, a bold new synthesis of paleontology, archaeology, genetics, and anthropology that overturns misconceptions about race, war and peace, and human nature itself, answering an age-old question- What made humans so exceptional among all the species on Earth?
Agustin Fuentes,during more than two decades of research, has published more than one hundred academic articles and book chapters. He has chased monkeys, apes, and humans in the jungles and cities of Asia, the mountains of Morocco, and the streets of Gibraltar. He's explored the lives of our evolutionary ancestors and examined people's daily routines across the globe. He is a professor and the chair of the University of Notre Dame's Department of Anthropology and aNational GeographicExplorer. His perspectives and research have been covered inThe Atlantic,Scientific American, The Huffington Post,and on NPR. He lives in Indiana.
PRAISE FOR THE CREATIVE SPARK
“Persuasive, entertaining, informative... Fuentes has done a fine
job of summarizing recent research in anthropology and
primatology... pointing to numerous examples in which problems such
as the finding of food, the avoidance of predators, the transfer of
information and the manipulation of the physical environment are
solved by way of imaginative collaboration.”
—Wall Street Journal
“The Creative Spark is strong on man’s imaginative accomplishments
and offers an important corrective to the skewed debate on human
nature. A species that, uniquely, ponders its own exceptionality
will surely be fascinated by it.”
—The Economist
“Rather than focusing his explanation of human evolution on an
increase in brain size or intelligence, Fuentes turns instead to
creativity as a fundamental aspect of what it means to be
human.”
--Named one of the Great Anthropology And History Books Of 2017,
Forbes
“Fuentes presents his theories in a captivating narrative that
feels like an intriguing mystery... To look up from The Creative
Spark after finishing the last page is to see the world in new,
complex ways. Fuentes's work adds depth to our reality and fosters
a deep respect and appreciation for the many forms creativity
takes.”
—Shelf Awareness
“Harnessing the latest findings in evolution, biology, and
archaeology [Fuentes] creates a new synthesis to show that the
great drivers of human progress have been creativity and
cooperation, and that many of the things we believe about
ourselves, from religion to race, are wrong.”
—NationalGeographic.com, Book Talk
“Condensing a great deal of anthropological research, Fuentes
shows how imaginative resourcefulness enabled a vulnerable species
lacking fangs and claws to survive in a world of fierce predators…
whether facing the current threat of armed conflict or pondering
contemporary controversies surrounding gender and religion, Fuentes
draws one imperative lesson from humankind’s deep past: we survive
as a species only so long as we continue to creatively
innovate.”
—Booklist
“The diverse studies in creativity are good ones… encompassing
everything from conflict resolution to learning how to use fire to
cook—not just red meat, but fish and vegetables as well… an
informative, readable introduction to recent scholarship on the
anthropology of creativity.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Creativity is an essential reason why Homo sapiens have progressed
to the point we have: dominating an entire planet and eagerly
searching the universe, argues anthropologist Fuentes… His thesis
is an intriguing and insightful one.”
—Library Journal
“A revolutionary perspective on what it means to be human. Fuentes
breathes new life into one of our oldest questions. So much of what
we think of as uniquely human has stagnated around a linear version
of intelligence. Fuentes introduces imagination as a powerful force
that has shaped who we are, and how we have become so successful.
Thoughtfully researched and beautifully written, The Creative Spark
is destined to become a classic.”
—Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods, authors of New York Times bestseller
The Genius of Dogs
“In The Creative Spark, everything old and familiar –
from livestock and tools, to marriage and war, and everything in
between – is made fresh and new in this fascinating retelling of
the story of humans’ unique evolutionary journey. Grand in scope,
but packed with detailed research and intimate prose, Fuentes once
again gives us the precious gift of an accessible demolition of
long-held assumptions, and a compelling, important, and revelatory
understanding of ourselves.”
—Cordelia Fine, Prof. of History & Philosophy of Science,
University of Melbourne, author of Delusions of Gender
“A magisterial tour of what makes us human, and how we got that
way. Large and complex controversies are judiciously
evaluated in a clearly written, fascinating way, and coherently
assembled into a persuasive alternative to the simplistic
biologisms that dominate contemporary discourse. This is the
best guide I know on how the human world evolved, and a
solid foundation for creative optimism.”
—R. Brian Ferguson, Prof. of Anthropology, Rutgers
University-Newark
“A perfect example of our humanness. It combines individual
creativity with a synthesis of the works of others to describe how
the lives of humans and our ancestors were changed, sometimes for
better and sometimes for worse, by harnessing and expanding
creative abilities. Anyone who is curious about how we
arrived at our present condition will want to read this book.”
—Lynne Isbell, Prof. and Chair of Anthropology, U.C., Davis, author
of The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent
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