Ebook Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior

Ebook Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior

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Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior

Ebook Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior

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Review

This well-written book, geared toward an audience with background in the behavioral and evolutionary sciences but accessible to a broad readership, raises two general questions: 'What is an egalitarian society?' and 'How have these societies evolved?'...[Christopher Boehm] takes the reader on a journey from the Arctic to the Americas, from Australia to Africa, in search of hunter-gatherer and tribal societies that emanate the egalitarian ethos--one that promotes generosity, altruism and sharing but forbids upstartism, aggression and egoism. Throughout this journey, Boehm tantalizes the reader with vivid anthropological accounts of ridicule, criticism, ostracism and even execution--prevalent tactics used by subordinates in egalitarian societies to level the social playing field...Hierarchy in the Forest is an interesting and thought-provoking book that is surely an important contribution to perspectives on human sociality and politics. (Ryan Earley American Scientist)Combing an exhaustive ethnographic survey of human societies from groups of hunter-gatherers to contemporary residents of the Balkans with a detailed analysis of the behavioral attributes of non-human primates (chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos), Boehm focuses on whether humans are hierarchical or egalitarian by nature...[Boehm's hypotheses] are invariably intriguing and well documented...He raises topics of wide interest and his book should get attention. (Publishers Weekly)Boehm has been the first to look at egalitarianism with a cold, unromantic eye. He sees it as a victory over hierarchical tendencies, which are equally marked in our species. I would predict that his insightful examination will reverberate within anthropology and the social sciences as well as among biologists interested in the evolution of social systems. (Frans de Waal, Emory University)Hierarchy in the Forest is an original and stimulating contribution to thinking about the origins of egalitarianism. I personally find Boehm's ideas convincing, but whether one agrees with him or not, he has formulated his hypotheses in such a way that this book is likely to set the terms of the discussion for the forseeable future. (Barbara Smuts, University of Michigan)The most unique and interesting feature of this clear, well written book is the way Boehm links the study of nonhuman primates (particularly chimpanzees) to traditional concepts of political anthropology. As a political scientist, I was intrigued by Boehm's suggestion that democracy, both ancient and modern, could be understood as the expression of the same natural dispositions that support the egalitarianism of nomadic bands and sedentary tribes. I expect that many scholars in biology, anthropology, and the social sciences would learn from this stimulating book. Even those who disagree with Boehm's arguments are likely to be provoked in instructive ways. (Larry Arnhart, Northern Illinois University)Chris Boehm boldly and cogently attacks a whole orthodoxy in anthropology which sees hunter-gatherer 'egalitarianism' as somehow the basic form of human society. No praise can be too high for Boehm's brilliant and courageous book. (Robin Fox, Rutgers University)From a theoretical perspective, some of the most convincing arguments presented by Boehm center around the pivotal role of language in the evolution of egalitarianismÂ…More provocative, however, are Boehm's ideas on how between-group selection has operated to generate egalitarianism. (Harold Gouzoules The Quarterly Review of Biology)Hierarchy in the Forest claims new territory for biological anthropology and evolutionary biology by extending the domain of these sciences into a crucial aspect of human political and social behavior. This book will be a key document in the study of the evolutionary basis of genuine altruism. (Primate Science)

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About the Author

Christopher Boehm is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Jane Goodall Research Center at the University of Southern California.

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Product details

Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: Harvard University Press; Revised edition (November 2, 2001)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0674006917

ISBN-13: 978-0674006911

Product Dimensions:

6.1 x 0.6 x 9.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review:

4.0 out of 5 stars

17 customer reviews

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#798,354 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

This book is not new, but for anyone interested in human nature, it is still entirely relevant. Boehm points to some very incongruous phenomena. First, most evidence suggests that the earliest groups of humans seem to have been governed by a very strict egalitarian ethic, much as surviving communities of nomadic hunters and gatherers still are. Then he points out how unique that ethic is among the other species of great apes that are our closest cousins. Most notably, the chimps and gorillas live in despotic bands led by despotic alpha males, all of whom are eventually overthrown by younger stronger depots. Finally he notes that as human societies developed settled agriculture and then civilization, despotism and hierarchy reemerge. How can we explain these things? Boehm's answer is that anatomically modern humans emerged in a widespread upheaval in which cooperative groups of non-dominant humans--sometimes including females--made a compact with each other to join against any potential alpha despot. Boehm calls this an "inverted hierarchy" by which he means that humans retained their competitive urges and their will to dominate others. Nevertheless, their will to be free from the domination of alphas was an even stronger urge. Further, their ability to cooperate within the constraints of an egalitarian ethic gave them an evolutionary advantage over other foraging nomads. Then, as new economies and more sedentary lifestyles began to emerge, they lost that competitive advantage and the old despotism reemerged. Anyone interested in the struggle between egalitarian and hierarchical styles of social organization--as well as the concept of human nature should not miss reading this very important book.

Extremely well researched and referenced. Somewhat repetitive however. He could have made his points more directly and succinctly but I guess that's how one writes a scholarly tome.

A finnish geneticist wrote a book about the relationship between humans and dog: the wonderfull relationship, as far I know has its basic rules in the forest were we learned how to handle another individuals and also other animals near by us. Understanding the basics is very important; this book is most valuble.

This text offers one of the clearest understandings of hunter-gatherer lifeway I have ever read.

I am very interested in how evolution has shaped our minds, culture and politics. Boehm is an expert in this field with unique and insightful theories. If your interested in this subject this book is an excellent choice.

If you want to understand your human nature better and how you should lead your life you'll be amazed at the new perspective this book generates for you.

This book is not without significant merit in its discusion of egalitarian politics. Unfortunately, Boehm goes way out on a limb in his central argument.Boehm is an intelligent and thoughtful observer of political and social realities, but he is a cultural anthropologist, not a political scientist, not a game theorist, not a primatologist, not even a biological anthropologist. The main argument he is making is a slippery departure from his own field.Boehm would do well to stick to what he knows. He is an excellent ethnographer. His published writings on the Serbian tribes of Montenegro represent a significant and solid contribution to cultural anthropology scholarship.In "Hierarchy of the Forest," Boehm's argument relies on disciplines about which he lacks sufficient expertise to come down as strongly as he does. His argument may be attractive to those of us who have an interest in building egalitarianism in political, social, and cultural practices, but it is best to avoid the trap that Boehm has fallen into, being seduced by an attractive hypothesis and sacrificing rigor.

As someone interested in people, I read a lot about evolutionary psychology. Unfortunately, most of the discussions of Evolutionary Psychology that I've run into are less than well founded. However, up until now, I haven't really had much chance to read anyone who was intimately familiar with the data. Chris Boehm fixed that.What do you get if you cross an Anthropologist, familiar with latest research on the !Kung, the Yanomamo, and all the other modern hunter-gatherer types we know of, with a primatologist, a passing-good archaeologist, and a very careful thinker? Christopher Boehm, author of this book.The question is:What is the human being's natural relationship to authority and egalitarianism.The answer that the author proposes is:As with most social pack animals, Homo Sapiens' ancestors appear to have been quite hierarchical multiple millions of years ago. In a wrestling/boxing match, the strongest guy almost always wins. When humans developed weaponry (Simple clubs, spears, arrows), Egalitarianism quickly became the norm, and was the stable norm for hundreds of thousands, perhaps a million years. This is probably due to the game theory of combat with weapons (the stronger guy only wins 60% of the time). About 10K years ago, agriculture developed, followed almost immediately by food storage. Food storage again changed the game theory, and hierarchy was again established.Human beings thus have an evolutionary history of hierarchy, followed by a rabid egalitarianism, and an evolutionarily recent re-creation of hierarchy.More impressive though than the hypothesis is how the author writes the book. Careful, measured, and both cognizant and respectful of alternate opinions. I can't say enough nice things about the book...if you like reading academic, careful work.

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