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Second Nature: Economic Origins of Human Evolution » (1st Edition)

Book cover image of Second Nature: Economic Origins of Human Evolution by Haim Ofek

Authors: Haim Ofek
ISBN-13: 9780521625340, ISBN-10: 0521625343
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date Published: February 2007
Edition: 1st Edition

Author Biography: Haim Ofek

Haim Ofek is Professor of Economics at Binghamton University, NY.

Book Synopsis

Explores how market forces and economics can help answer fundamental questions of human evolution.

	Acknowledgments
1	Introduction	1
Pt. 1	Bioeconomics
2	Exchange in human and nonhuman societies	9
	Adam Smith's zoological digression	9
	Symbiotic exchange	11
	Kin and nepotistic exchange	14
	Mercantile exchange	20
	Tentative conclusions	24
3	Classical economics and classical Darwinism	26
	Darwin and the Scottish economists: The first point of junction	26
	Darwin's principle of utility: The second point of junction	31
	Diversity of human nature: The third point of junction	35
4	Evolutionary implications of division of labor	44
	The capacity for specialization and differentiation	45
	The capacity to operate in grand-scale formations	55
5	The feeding ecology	62
	The incredible shrinking gut	62
	Runaway arms races in a vertical feeding ecology	74
6	The origins of nepotistic exchange	84
	Primordial exchange at the lowest levels of organization	84
	Convergent body structures	86
	Convergent social structures	95
	The primate connection	98
7	Baboon speciation versus human specialization	105
	Parallels in the feeding ecology	105
	Antipredator behavior	110
	Adaptive radiation in the baboons	114
	The "southern ape"	115
	Founder-effect speciation	117
	Trade and adaptive specialization	118
Pt. 2	Paleoeconomics
8	Departure from the feed-as-you-go strategy	125
	The physical environment	125
	Stone tool technology according to Darwin	128
	Exchange augmented foot-sharing	131
9	The origins of market exchange	138
	Bateman's syndrome	138
	The impetus to trade	142
	The nature of commodities and the structure of markets	143
	Fire: What's in a name?	151
10	Domestication of fire in relation to market exchange	153
	Nonhuman use of fire	153
	The question of fuel	155
	Incendiary skills	157
	Provision of fire in the absence of ignition technology	159
	Fire and occupation of caves	162
11	The Upper Paleolithic and other creative explosions	168
	The Upper Paleolithic toolkit	169
	Long-distance trade	172
	Economic and geographic expansions	173
	Monetarization of exchange in relation to symbolic behavior	179
12	Transition to agriculture: the limiting factor	190
	Five unexplained remarkable facts	190
	The history of the problem	192
	Agriculture versus hunting-gathering	194
	Climates on average	196
	Climates at variance: a clue in the ice caps	202
	The Fertile Crescent: a regional case study	207
13	Transition to agriculture: the facilitating factor	212
	The specialization-diversification dichotomy	212
	The question of autarky	212
	The caprine paradox	217
	Agrarian origins of ancient cities	222
	Agriculture: summary	226
	References	228
	Index	237

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Category Books

Second Nature: Economic Origins of Human Evolution » (1st Edition)

Author Biography: Haim Ofek

Book Synopsis

Table of Contents

Subjects