Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsthe rarity of evolving to the fully human
Reviewed in Canada on May 26, 2016
Edward O. Wilson is a delight to read. I found his summery of the evolution of man incredibly comprehensive ....fascinating actually.
I studied anthropology at university. However, I found Wilson's overview of the 5-6 million year journey of the 'almost-man' primate's journey on becoming Man, more skillfully detailed, more comprehensive and certainly, more illuminating than anything I learned in my university classes
The most difficult chapters in this book are written about the invertebrate eusocials. Even though Wilson makes every effort to write for the lay reader, the conceptual framework and corresponding patterns of their evolution, is difficult to understand.
However, it was worth the effort to continue reading, because without Wilson's explanation about this extremely rare evolutionary path taken by ants, wasps, bees and termites,the reader's overall understanding of the almost miraculous evolution of homo sapiens would not be complete.
Wilson not only demonstrates how we humans evolved, but by explaining the extreme rarity of the evolution of the eusocial invertebrates, we are shown the almost miraculous feat achieved when the upright ape became fully human.
Overall, I was thrilled to learn more about this rare, evolutionary journey taken by our ancestors, a journey that led to our becoming fully human.
